In a written parliamentary question, Ruth Jones, the MP for Newport West, asked the Department for Work and Pensions when the Secretary of State, Thérèse Coffey MP, last met with the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI).
On Monday, the DWP admitted that ‘the Secretary of State has not met with representatives of the Women Against State Pension Inequality’.
The WASPI campaign fights for justice for all women born in the 1950s affected by the changes to the State Pension Age after the 1995 Pensions Act changed the law so that women would no longer be able to claim their state pension at 60.
In support of the WASPI campaign, Newport West MP Ruth Jones spoke at the 1950s Women of Wales rally outside the Senedd earlier this month.
In her speech, Jones said that “it is unacceptable that fifties women have been dismissed by Ministers now and in recent years”, in response to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s report in July, that found failings in the way the Department for Work and Pensions communicated changes to the women’s State Pension Age.
The report also states that affected women should have had, at least, two years and 4 months’ notice of the changes.
Jones said, “this is a significant finding on the injustice WASPI women have faced. The [UK] Government must now commit to responding to this report and outline the steps they will take to address its findings.
I have met with the WASPI women on several occasions, including women in Newport West who have faced discrimination due to their gender and age. The Secretary of State of the DWP hasn’t bothered to meet with them once.
Millions of women have been affected by this, and thousands have suffered significant financial loss. It is heart-breaking, and it is unacceptable. The struggle goes on for women in Newport West, Wales and across the UK, and I will continue to help and support this campaign in Newport West and in Parliament to tackle this unfair system.
I would also like to pay tribute to the hard work of those who have lobbied and fought for fairness, justice, and respect over many years.”