Women's State Pension Age: Compensation

Mohammad Yasin, the Labour MP for Bedford, and Adrian Ramsay, the Green MP for Waveney Valley, asked the Government about the progress made in responding to the recommendations on compensation made by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman in their report on changes to women's state pension age. In response, Emma Reynolds, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, acknowledged that she was the first Minister in eight years to meet with the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaigners directly. However, she stated that the Government needs time to carefully consider the Ombudsman's report and the evidence before outlining their approach. Yasin expressed his support for the WASPI women in Bedford, many of whom are struggling to make ends meet, and urged the Minister to tell them when the Government will respond to the Ombudsman's report, which recommended a compensation scheme. Ramsay echoed Yasin's sentiments, highlighting the serious injustice faced by his constituents in Norfolk and Suffolk, and the impact it is having on women born in the 1950s who are struggling financially. He asked the Minister to set out the timescale for the Government's response to the report and the action that will be taken. In both cases, the Minister reiterated that the Ombudsman's report is a serious and complex one that took six years to complete, and the Government needs time to review it thoroughly before coming to a conclusion.