Alan Brown, an SNP MP, has asked the UK government to "do the right thing" and the Labour Party "to commit" to his State Pension Age (Compensation) Bill "if they were to win an election" ahead of its second reading, which has been postponed until next month.
WASPI Bill Delayed: SNP MP Reschedules Parliament Debate Amid Calls for Justice
The Bill was set to be debated in Parliament on Friday, April 19, but the Kilmarnock and Loudoun MP announced on social media that "Westminster would not provide debate time," thus he has rescheduled the second reading for May 17.
On Thursday, Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf assured Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) protesters outside the Scottish Parliament that the SNP "will not rest until they receive the justice they deserve".
He also said that he wrote to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, encouraging them to be "on the right side of history" by providing compensation to women affected by increases to the State Pension age.
On Friday, the SNP MP tweeted on X, formerly known as Twitter:
🗣️‼️ Today should have been the 2nd reading for my WASPI compensation bill. Westminster wouldn’t provide debate time so I have rescheduled to May 17th. In the meantime I will press the UK Government to do the right thing and for Labour to commit to this if they were to win an… pic.twitter.com/mgJOBvE68Y
— Alan Brown MP (@AlanBrownSNP) April 19, 2024
Call for Action Intensifies on State Pension Age Compensation
After a six-year examination, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) determined on March 21 that women born in the 1950s who were impacted by short notice adjustments to their State Pension age should receive compensation.
The Ombudsman then requested that Parliament intervene and "act swiftly" to ensure the establishment of a compensation programme.
Mel Stride, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, stood before the House on March 25 and stated that the UK government will respond to the conclusions once it has had "sufficient time" to study the 100-page report.
Nevertheless, Acting Chair of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Select Committee (PACAC), David Jones MP, reached out to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Mel Stride MP, asking when he intends to publish a response to the PHSO report and update Parliament.
Mr Jones wrote: “On 25h March 2024, you gave a statement to the House of Commons following the publication of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's report into the communication of state pension age changes to women born in the 1950s.
“In the statement, you committed to providing a further update to the House of Commons once the Government has considered the PHSO report's findings and said that it will continue to engage fully and constructively with Parliament. You also said that the Government ‘will not unduly delay our response’.”
He added: “The Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee has within its remit a responsibility to scrutinise the work of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.
“This includes following up on reports that the PHSO lay before the House of Commons. Therefore, we ask that you write to update us about the timetable for the publication of your response to the PHSO's report, and when you intend to update Parliament on the statement you made on 25th March. Such a timetable would provide reassurance and clarity to the Committee and to the PHSO.”
However, there is hope on the horizon for millions of women born in the 1950s who have been impacted by the changes to their State Pension age after SNP MP Patricia Gibson provided an Early Day Motion (EDM) to the Backbench Business Committee last week and secured time in Parliament for a discussion on the UK Government committing to "accepting the findings of the report and how we move on from there," rather than the value of any redress.
Interim Chair of the Committee, Bob Blackman MP, claimed that due to the number of MPs eager to participate in the debate - 60 have supported the EDM - an afternoon session in the House of Commons in May would be more practical, after the North Ayrshire and Arran MP emphasised that "due to the nature of the debate, a lot of constituents will be asking their MPs to attend".