Plaid Cymru Member of Parliament for Arfon Hywel Williams has called on the UK government to deliver a fair and fast compensation scheme for local women wronged by the maladministration of their state pension allowance.
Thousands of women in Gwynedd have been affected by the rise in the state pension age, with many given little or no notice and not enough time to make alternative plans, often with devastating consequences.
The Plaid Cymru MP has long called on the UK government to make fair transitional arrangements for women born in the 1950s.
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman is currently investigating whether failures it identified led to an injustice for the 1950s women – known collectively as WASPI women – Women Against State Pension Inequality.
Hywel Williams MP said: “The WASPI women have suffered hugely because of maladministration and failures by the DWP to appropriately inform them of changes to their State Pension Allowance.
“Women across the UK have been hit hard by the changes. To the surprise and dismay of many of them, the plans that they had made have been disrupted.
“Women in Wales are being hit particularly hard by the changes. Life expectancy is generally lower in Wales than in England. Incomes in Wales are low, so they have already suffered a disproportionate disadvantage. There are fewer job opportunities and jobs are more insecure, particularly in some constituencies.
“Despite the clamour of outrage and years of campaigning, the UK Government have refused to support these women who are trapped in difficult financial situations through no fault of their own.
“The UK Government not only have a legal obligation but also a moral obligation to address the hardship caused to the women whose pension plans were cut short by the UK Government.
“If the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman recommends that the WASPI women should be compensated, then the UK Government must act immediately to deliver a fair and fast compensation scheme.”
