The Pensions Act 1995 legislated to equalise the State Pension age as a move towards gender equality. The Pensions Act 2011 included transitional arrangements limiting State Pension age delays. Parliament legislated for a concession worth £1.1 billion which means that no woman will see her pension age change by more than 18 months, relative to the original 1995 Act timetable. The Pensions Acts of 1995, 2007, and 2011 were all subject to public consultation and debate in Parliament and were all widely reported in the media. The changes in the 1995 legislation were communicated in leaflets, advertising campaigns, and individual letters. The up-to-date State Pension age was also provided to those who requested a Pension Statement. 

In 2016 I met with local campaigners from Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) group who spoke to me about their experiences, and I raised their cases and complaints with the Government at that time. 

In the 2019-2021 Judicial Review on changes to State Pension age, both the High Court and Court of Appeal supported the actions of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), finding it acted entirely lawfully and did not discriminate on any grounds. A copy of the judgment can be found here.  In March 2021 the Supreme Court refused the Claimants' permission to appeal and while I understand it may be disappointing the Government confirmed it would not be reviewing the state pension age in response to the WASPI campaign.

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman - April 2024 Update

I was pleased to see the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) investigation into the way that changes to the state pension age were communicated to women born in the 1950s by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

This was a significant investigation by the Ombudsman, taking over five years to look at a subject spanning nearly 30 years, starting from the 1995 Pensions Act which legislated to equalise the state pension age gradually between men and women from 2010. The Ombudsman has not looked at the decision to equalise the state pension age, but at how that decision was communicated by the Department for Work and Pensions.

The PHSO’s report has now been laid before Parliament and I was reassured to see the Secretary of State confirm that the Government will now assess the findings in full and would update MPs on any further action that may be taken. I have raised this matter directly with the Pensions Minister as well on behalf of my constituents.