WASPI women living in one part of the UK could be handed £2,950 compensation from the Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ) as a major update is issued. WASPI women could be handed payments worth THOUSANDS if the Labour Party government bows to pressure.
This week, Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party – Foyle) asked in the Commons: “Question to the Department for Work and Pensions: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to her statement of 17 December 2024 on Women’s State Pension Age Communication: PHSO Report, Official Report columns 167 to 169, whether her Department has made an estimate of the annual cost of implementing a compensation scheme for affected women in Northern Ireland.”
Pensions minister Emma Reynolds spoke out in reply. Ms Reynolds replied: “The State Pension is a transferred matter in Northern Ireland. These matters are the responsibility of the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland.”
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WASPI and others have claimed for years that large numbers of older women were penalised financially and are now struggling with living costs because of the way the decision to raise the state pension age for women to match that of men was made and communicated.
Many said they had always expected to receive their pension at 60, and had made their financial plans on that basis. Some said they only discovered their state pension age had increased by several years after giving up work.
They argue they were not given enough warning to make plans to bridge the financial gap. Last year, the parliamentary and health service ombudsman (PHSO) said those affected should be compensated to the tune of £2,950.
But Labour Party Chancellor Rachel Reeves said that improving public services was a higher priority than spending billions on compensating those impacted. The ombudsman, Rebecca Hilsenrath, criticised the decision to deny compensation.