West Lothian Courier

We refuse to give up this battle

Bardell backs WASPI women

- DEBBIE HALL

West Lothian WASPI women and Livingston MP Hannah Bardell have called on the UK Government to take responsibi­lity for short-changing women born in the 1950s due to increasing women’s State Pension age.

Meeting with the local campaignin­g group, the MP said she will continue to campaign for the women who have been denied justice.

A recent Public & Health Service Ombudsman’s report found that maladminis­tration by the Department for Work & Pensions and the way the UK government handled the communicat­ion of changes to women’s State Pension age resulted in injustice, and that compensati­on should be paid to the women affected.

The Livingston MP said however that she takes issue with the Ombudsman’s suggestion that the appropriat­e level of compensati­on would be just £1000 to £2950, and she will be urging the UK Parliament to look at a higher level of compensati­on that is both fair and fast to implement.

Hannah Bardell said: “It was an absolute pleasure to meet again with the incredible WASPI West Lothian. I will continue to support them as they seek justice from the UK government.

“The SNP have been clear and consistent in our support for women born in the 1950s who have been short-changed by the Tory Government due to the accelerate­d timetable for increases in the women’s State Pension age.

“I find it outrageous that the department has refused to accept that maladminis­tration occurred or engage in discussion­s on compensati­on.

“The UK Government has shown it can act to end longrunnin­g injustices within a matter of weeks, as seen with the Post Office scandal. WASPI women should be afforded the same dignity with swift action.

“Beyond the scandalous injustice faced by WASPI women, time and time again we have seen successive Westminste­r Government­s short-change pensioners, who are getting a raw deal from a pension system that they have paid into their whole lives. The Tories have broken their promise to maintain the State Pension triple lock; cut Pension Credit for mixed-age couples; frozen the hardearned State Pension of pensioners living overseas and scrapped free TV licences for over-75s.

“Like so many WASPI women across the UK who have faced pension injustice, WASPI West Lothian will continue to fight for justice, and I’ll be right there with them.”

Her colleague, MSP Fiona Hyslop agreed, adding: “Thousands of women born in the 1950s across West Lothian were adversely affected by the UK Government’s Department for Work and Pensions’ failure to communicat­e rises to the State Pension age.

“WASPI surveys show one in three 1950s-born WASPI women are now in debt, while the UK Government has saved over £200 billion by raising the State Pension age, with £181.4 billion having been saved from women alone.

“The publicatio­n of the recent Parliament­ary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) report, ‘Women’s State Pension Age: our findings on injustice and associated issues’, found that the UK Government Department for Work and Pensions did not sufficient­ly inform thousands of women of changes to the State Pension age when they should have. This has not only affected women in my own constituen­cy, but women across Scotland have also been impacted by this failure. I continue to support the WASPI women across West Lothian and the country who continue fighting for justice.”

I will continue to support them as they seek justice

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West Lothian WASPI women met with local MP Hannah Bardell
Battle goes on West Lothian WASPI women met with local MP Hannah Bardell

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