Government “need for speed” in responding to WASPI ombudsman compensation recommendations – Carmichael

Orkney and Shetland MP, Alistair Carmichael, has today in Parliament warned that there was a “need for speed” in the government’s response to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s report on women affected by maladministration in changes to the state pension age. 

The independent Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman in March recommended that the government should compensate women affected by failures to inform them of the changes to pension ages properly between 1995 and 2007, and called on the government to apologise for the failures. The watchdog has suggested that Parliament may need to intervene if the government refuses to implement the findings.

Speaking in Parliament, Mr Carmichael said:

“This is a very important point that he makes here, and it surely is that, if you look at the experience of other compensation schemes, and the one that comes to my mind is the Icelandic Trawlerman’s Compensation scheme, the longer you leave these things, the longer the passage of time goes, the more difficult it gets to resolve them. Does that not just underline the need for speed here?”

Responding, the chair of the Work and Pensions Select Committee, Stephen Timms MP said:

“I agree with him. We do need to get on and resolve this after this very long period.”

Reacting after the exchange, Mr Carmichael said:

“After years of back and forth and legal action it is past time for results for women affected by government maladministration over the pension age changes. Ministers need to accept and act on what are ultimately pretty limited proposals from the parliamentary ombudsman. 

“There is no point in having the ombudsman if we do not live up to its recommendations now. That compensation may not be all that those affected would wish it to be, but it ought to be the minimum we expect from the government now. Trying to resile from those recommendations risks undermining public confidence in the fairness of our institutions. That is hardly something we can afford more of now.”