Women’s Changed State Pension Age: Compensation
Euan Stainbank Excerpts(2 weeks, 4 days ago)
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Euan Stainbank (Falkirk) (Lab)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer. I thank the hon. Member for South Cotswolds (Dr Savage) for introducing this debate on behalf of the Petitions Committee. Both the ombudsman and the response of the Secretary of State back in December leave no room for doubt that the Government failed to adequately notify many 1950s-born women about changes to their pension age. This is maladministration and a scandal that has driven many to campaign for justice.
I invited the WASPI women in Falkirk to meet me after the statement from the Secretary of State, and the message I took from that meeting is that if we in this place believed that there was no injustice, compensation would never have been paid, regardless of fiscal circumstances, but if we recognise an injustice, as the Department has now done, we must deliver a form of the recommended redress of the ombudsman’s findings. On behalf of the WASPI women in Falkirk, I will ask some of the questions that were raised at that meeting back in December. I would like a response, if possible, from the Minister, for my constituents.
Why can the Government pick and choose when to implement ombudsman recommendations? Is the 90% figure derived from a study specific to women who would have been impacted by the pension changes? Is this decision based on cost or a genuine disagreement with the findings of the ombudsman? Further questions were asked, but those are questions on behalf of women who attended that meeting.
In the October Budget, the Government did not just promise, but delivered for victims of the Horizon scandal, of the infected blood scandal and of the mineworkers’ pension scheme, and for LGBTQ+ veterans. That is a proud record. I put it to the Government that we should think again and deliver redress for the WASPI women as well.
Oral Answers to Questions
Euan Stainbank Excerpts(3 months, 2 weeks ago)
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Emma Reynolds
The Government remain absolutely committed to supporting low-income pensioners. We are supporting them through the household support fund, which local authorities can use to help people on the lowest incomes with their bills. The Minister for Energy Consumers, my hon. Friend the Member for Peckham (Miatta Fahnbulleh), has also raised £500 million from energy suppliers to help those most vulnerable consumers in debt. We also have the warm home discount and the warm homes plan to help those on low incomes to heat their homes.
Euan Stainbank (Falkirk) (Lab)
Under the Conservatives, billions in pension credit went unclaimed. The burden for driving up claims often lies in fantastic organisations such as Christians Against Poverty, the Falkirk and Clackmannanshire Carers Centre and Citizens Advice Falkirk and Denny, as well as the brilliant Falkirk council welfare benefits team in my constituency. What assurance can the Minister give me that beyond 21 December her Department will work tirelessly to prevent billions in benefits from being left unclaimed?
Emma Reynolds
Indeed, we have taken forward the biggest awareness campaign for claiming pension credit that has ever been seen. We are determined that those on the lowest incomes should claim pension credit and be awarded it, which will passport them to winter fuel payments and other related benefits.
Oral Answers to Questions
Euan Stainbank Excerpts(4 months, 3 weeks ago)
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Emma Reynolds
The hon. Member is the second person to raise that issue and I happy to meet them both.
Euan Stainbank (Falkirk) (Lab)
How many current Department employees cannot receive further sponsorship due to the previous Government’s changes to the skilled worker visa salary threshold?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Andrew Western)
My hon. Friend asks an important question and I will be delighted to follow up with him in writing.