1950s women’s campaigners in Llanelli recently issued a qualified welcome to the Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman’s finding of maladministration against the Department for Work and Pensions and called for a fair and fast solution.
The Ombudsman has ruled that the Department was guilty of maladministration from 2004 onwards when it failed to contact 1950s born women in person to inform them of the changes to their State Pension Age after its own research revealed that the majority of women did not know their State Pension Age had changed, despite a publicity campaign.
“We are very pleased that, after a long and thorough investigation, the Ombudsman has found that maladministration took place when we were not properly notified of the changes to our State Pension Age, said Jane Jones from Llanelli Women Against State Pension Injustice (WASPI).
“This is a very welcome step in the right direction. We hope the Ombudsman will now complete the next stage and decide that an injustice has taken place that deserves compensation. The government will then have a moral duty to put things right. We are looking for a fair and fast solution for over 5,400 women in Llanelli.”
Over the past two years many women in Llanelli have lodged complaints with the help of WASPI members.
The Ombudsman’s final ruling will apply to all 1950s born women affected by the changes, not just those who have lodged a complaint.
