WASPI women have confirmed they are proceeding with fresh legal action against the Labour Party government over a proposed flat compensation scheme. The campaign group is seeking a new High Court challenge after being denied redress for the way changes to the state pension age were communicated.
Background of the Dispute
In January, women affected by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) failures were told for a second time that they would not receive compensation. A previous decision not to offer redress was reviewed following the rediscovery of a 2007 DWP evaluation, which had led officials to stop sending automatic pension forecast letters.
Legal Steps Taken
WASPI announced in March that lawyers would raise legal errors with the government, giving its lawyers 14 days to respond. Angela Madden, chair of the WASPI campaign, stated: "The Government has had every opportunity to do the right thing for WASPI women. Instead, they have made a political choice that risks alienating voters in hundreds of marginal seats across the country."
Political Implications
Madden added: "Labour MPs have seen the electoral data. They know WASPI women have the numbers to unseat them. Yet ministers continue to ignore the independent Ombudsman, their own backbenchers, and millions of voters."
Compensation Proposals
A report by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman previously suggested compensation ranging between £1,000 and £2,950 for each affected woman. Hannah Martin, women's pensions expert and founder of richretiree.com, said: "I believe they should be awarded compensation. But it's difficult to ascertain what is a 'fair' amount, as the financial impact hasn't been the same for every woman."
Flat vs. Graduated Scheme
Martin commented: "A flat payment scheme would be much simpler to administer, however this could lead to some women still being left out of pocket, and others receiving more than they lost. Some kind of simplified graduated scheme would be fairer."
