The WASPI timeline

1995: A law is passed setting out a timetable to eventually raise the retirement age for women to 65, so it would be the same as men. Under the 1995 Pensions Act, the plan is to phase in that change from 2010 to 2020

2010: The coalition government decides to accelerate that timetable, arguing that the state pension is becoming unaffordable. It means the new higher retirement age for women is brought forward to 2018 – affecting about 2.6 million women

2018: In December, the state pension age for women increases to 65

2020: The qualifying state pension age for both men and women is raised again to 66

We are all in this together

We are a society, we agree to play by rules. We appoint arbiters of good faith – one of them is the Ombudsman. This watchdog has spoken, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s report is here. 

1. The watchdog recommends the government apologises and pays compensation to women affected by the increase in the state pension age
2. The report says women born in the 1950s are “owed” money but the Department for Work and Pensions has “clearly indicated that it will refuse to comply… this is unacceptable“
3. The ombudsman urges Parliament to intervene to “make sure a compensation scheme is established“
4. The report suggests – from sample cases it has seen – that compensation could be between £1,000 and £2,950 (WASPI claim £10,000)
5. From 1948 until 2010, the state pension age was 60 for women and 65 for men
6. A law passed in 1995 said the women’s pension age would increase to 65 between 2010 and 2020
7. The Pensions Act of 2011 accelerated that change, so that it was completed by November 2018
8. Campaigners say some women were unaware of the changes, and so didn’t receive their pension when they expected

I don’t know what is hard about this

The cost of compensation may be £7.7bn (top-end) Ombudsman –  and £30bn (WASPI). This is well below the savings to DWP of the changes and reflects the lack of spending of the Department in properly communicating the changes. The DWP saved money in the short term and it is now paying more than it needs to because it botched the job. The Public are right to be angry, the DWP has not come out of this report well and will now have to go back and re cost its state pension calculations. Alan Chaplin is right

£7.7bn to £30bn isn’t loose change, it needs to be found and this may mean that Peter may have to robbed to pay Paula. I am Peter, I may have to have a lower pension or a later pension to pay for WASPI compensation, I am not ducking my part in all this.

We are a society and when part of it messes up , we all mess up. There is no great pension pot in the sky that can be raided at times like this – there is no dove from above.

I know the DWP knows this but I’m not sure they have got the balls to say

“We know we’ve messed up and now you have got to pay up”

The DWP know that as civil servants they are accountable for our experience and our experience has been a rotten one.

But we pay for Government and , (in the absence of dove Deus ex machina) , we can either hold out against half the population my age, or let this drag on like all the other scandals that aren’t getting resolved.

Let’s go for proper compensation today rather than let more women die uncompensated. If  the price is paid through a breakdown of the triple lock or an adverse result on SPA, then let’s see what that means and provided it’s properly costed (and GAD are pretty good) let’s pay up.

Let’s pay the price of WASPI and accept our Ombudsman’s recommendation, it’s the least we should be doing.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s report is here.

Ros Altmann’s thoughts are here

The FT’s report is here

UK government faces multibillion pound bill over bungled women’s #pension age riseshttps://t.co/iLscW57vud via @ft #WASPI

— Josephine Cumbo (@JosephineCumbo) March 21, 2024