The Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign has renewed its call for Prime Minister Andy Burnham to meet them over a State Pension age compensation redress scheme, following Chancellor John Healey's Autumn Budget on Wednesday.
WASPI chair Angela Madden criticised the UK Government's spending decisions on Wednesday, arguing ministers had demonstrated they could find money for other priorities while continuing to refuse financial redress for women affected by failures to communicate changes to the State Pension age.
Campaign demands meeting with Prime Minister
The campaign represents women born in the 1950s who were affected by increases to their State Pension age and inadequate communication from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
Ms Madden said: "This Budget has shown yet again that when the government feels it needs to, it can act, but when it comes to WASPI women, we are told the cupboard is bare."
"WASPI women are still waiting for the justice the Parliamentary Ombudsman, hundreds of MPs and the public say is due."
"Andy Burnham promised to meet with campaigners to discuss redress, and we expect that commitment to be honoured. WASPI stands ready to find a solution that is fair to both affected women and the taxpayer."
Background to the compensation dispute
The Prime Minister met WASPI campaigners during the Makerfield by-election campaign and agreed to further discussions about possible financial redress. In August, Ms Madden wrote to Mr Burnham and Chancellor John Healey seeking talks about a potential compensation scheme.
The campaign has continued pressing for a meeting, with WASPI confirming in August its lawyers had renewed an offer to resolve the dispute through alternative dispute resolution.
The calls follow the UK Government's decision in January to reject compensation for women affected by communication failures over changes to their State Pension age. Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden confirmed the decision following a fresh examination of the findings of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO).
Ombudsman findings and government response
The Ombudsman had found maladministration in the DWP's communication of State Pension age changes and recommended compensation at level four of its financial remedy scale, equivalent to between £1,000 and £2,950, for six sample complainants. It also recommended the DWP provide an appropriate remedy for other women who suffered injustice because of the communication failures.
However, the UK Government's response published on GOV.UK rejected a financial compensation scheme, citing fairness, affordability and difficulties identifying which women had suffered injustice.
The issue returned to the House of Commons earlier this month when Labour MP Brian Leishman questioned Pensions Minister Torsten Bell about the Prime Minister's commitment to meet campaigners.
During Work and Pensions questions on October 12, Mr Leishman asked: "The Prime Minister personally assured the WASPI campaigners during the Makerfield by-election that he would meet them to discuss potential routes to redress. Can the Minister confirm what actions the Department is taking to support the Prime Minister in those discussions? Crucially, when will the meeting happen?"
Mr Bell replied: "I have recently written to WASPI representatives to set out the Government's position. With legal proceedings ongoing, further comment is not appropriate, but I continue to hear from and to speak to women affected by the accelerated increases in the state pension age."
WASPI is continuing its legal challenge to the UK Government's refusal to establish a compensation scheme, while calling for discussions aimed at finding a resolution.
