Gordon MP comments on progress in WASPI women investigation

Gordon MP Richard Thomson has given a cautious welcome to progress in the Parliamentary Ombudsman’s investigation into the maladministration by the UK Government in the case of the WASPI women affected by changes to the State Pension age.

The Parliamentary Ombudsman has now shared its provisional views about injustice resulting from the maladministration identified during their stage one investigation and their thinking about remedy with complainants, their referring MPs and the UK Department for Work and Pensions. They now have an opportunity to comment on the Ombudsman’s provisional views before any final decisions are made about these issues.

Commenting, Richard Thomson MP said: “This is a welcome step forward and means that we are now closer to what I hope will be a just outcome for the many thousands of women affected by what has already been found by the Ombudsman to be a clear case of maladministration on the part of the UK Government.

“Earlier findings in this investigation have clearly vindicated the campaign by WASPI and condemned the DWP for failing to provide “accurate, adequate and timely” information about changes to the state pension age for women.

“With yet another new Minister for Pensions at the helm following recent sackings and resignations within the UK Government, I’ll be writing again asking that the new Minister take heed of the direction of travel here and start getting the processes in place to make swift compensatory payments once the investigation is concluded.

That preparatory work could be done now and doesn’t need to wait for the Ombudsman to publish a formal report.

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