A WASPI compensation bill which was due to go before MPs in Parliament today (April 19) for its second reading has been postponed for nearly a month. Key points of the WASPI compensation bill, which was set to go before MPs in Parliament today, include a requirement for the Government to establish a timetable for providing compensation.
The proposed legislation mandates the Secretary of State to publish proposals for a compensation scheme for women born between April 6, 1950, and April 5, 1960, who have been affected by increases in the state pension age.
But in another setback, the second reading has now been pushed back to May 17, as the Express reports. The latest push for government action comes after MP Richard Thomson told Express.co.uk that ministers need to provide compensation "as soon as possible".
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The bill was initially introduced by SNP MP Alan Brown and enjoys cross-party support, including backing from Conservative, Labour, and Liberal Democrat MPs.
The motion outlining the bill states: "The purpose of this bill is to bring forward parliamentary intervention to stop those affected women having to wait any longer."
It further adds: "Fair and fast compensation is the simple scheme that the WASPI women are looking for, using, as a minimum, Level 5 of the ombudsman scale-realistically, however, Level 6 of the PHSO [Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman] bandings is the most appropriate-and this bill could deliver a simple framework."
These levels refer to the PHSO's bandings for financial remedy, with Level 5 involving compensation payouts of between £3,000 and £9,950, while Level 6 is the highest banding, with payouts of £10,000 or more, reports the Express. The motion asserts: "We are talking about a practical resolution, one that does not result in astronomical sums per person.
"It is not asking for a reversal of pension age to 60, and it is not a full restitution of pensions for those affected by the maladministration-no matter how nice an outcome that would be. The WASPI women understand there is no blank cheque from the Treasury; they are practical and they want to get on. That said, we cannot lose sight of the fact that the UK Government have saved £200 billion from the decision to equalise the state pension age at 66."
Mr Brown also urged Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, who could be Prime Minister if his party wins the General Election, to take the initiative and commit to action on the issue. Mr Brown urged the Labour leader to take the initiative and commit to taking action on the issue, stating: "Instead of letting the Tories move his political dial and political compass, find a moral backbone and make a commitment that if this fag-end Tory Government will not deliver some form of compensation, a future Labour Government will.
"Having said that, given that the current Labour shadow Work and Pensions Secretary has never uttered the words "WASPI" or "1950s women" in Parliament, and neither has Labour’s Women and Equalities spokesperson, I do not see much pressure being put on the Labour leader from within his shadow Cabinet. This is a shocking dereliction of duty from what is supposed to be the main Opposition party at Westminster." This is a shocking dereliction of duty from what is supposed to be the main Opposition party at Westminster."
The motion also criticised the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman for "dragging its feet" on the matter, with Mr Brown stating: "It is hard to believe that in the almost three years since the maladministration assessment, a solution is still to be recommended by the Ombudsman. It is a scandal in itself that the WASPI women had to go to court to confirm the flaws in the second Ombudsman report."
The most recent PHSO report recommended payouts of between £1,000 and £2,950 for the WASPI women, and urged Parliament to take action on the issue.
