Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether it is her Department's policy (a) that the matter of changes to women's state pension age is resolved and (b) to continue to engage with the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's investigation into the communication of those changes.

The Government, and all successive governments of different political persuasions, decided nearly 30 years ago that it was going to make the State Pension age the same for men and women as a long-overdue move towards gender equality. Both the High Court and Court of Appeal have found no fault with the actions of the DWP, under successive governments dating back to 1995. The courts found that DWP acted entirely lawfully and did not discriminate on any grounds.

Work has now begun on the second Government Review of State Pension age which, under the Pensions Act 2014, must be published by May 2023. This Review will consider a wide range of evidence, including findings from two independent reports, to assess whether the rules about State Pension age remain appropriate. No one has reached any conclusions in this Review.

The PHSO Ombudsman’s investigation into communication of changes to women’s state pensions is ongoing and section 7(2) of the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967 states that Ombudsman investigations “shall be conducted in private”. We are cooperating fully with the PHSO in their investigation and will continue to do so.