THOUSANDS of women are owed compensation by the government, a landmark report has found.
Official findings published today by an ombudsman have called for WASPI women to be compensated.
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The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman has today issued the report following an investigation into possible injustices resulting from raising women’s retirement age in line with men’s.
Those affected are referred to as WASPI (Women Against State Pension Age Inequality).
These are women who saw their pension age go up from 60 to 65.
In 2021, the body published the first stage of its report, which criticised the government for being too slow to inform women how they would be affected.
It has now published the second and third parts of its investigation, which deal with those communication failings and recommendations on compensation.
The ombudsman said it has proactively asked Parliament to intervene and hold the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to account.
Up until 2010, women could claim their state pension from their 60th birthday and men from 65.
But, from 2010 to 2018, the pension age for women gradually increased from 60 to 68, bringing it in line with men’s state pension age.
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The women affected by this say the changes were implemented with little notice, leaving them without enough funds.
The shake-up was introduced by successive governments in 1995, 2007, and 2011 to bring women’s state pension age in line with men and to account for the fact that people are both living and working for longer.
In February, an MP put forward a bill calling for a compensation scheme with payouts of at least £10,000 to help out those who were impacted.
