A petition which called for ‘Government to deliver a fair, timely, fully transparent apology that reflects all evidence based on what we (WASPI) think constitutes maladministration and discrimination; and addresses the financial, emotional and personal hardship experienced by 1950s women caused by pension changes’, received a Government response yesterday (9th February 2026).
The petition comes after the Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden told Parliament on 29th January that he accepted that individual letters about changes to the State Pension age could have been sent earlier and apologised for that maladministration in the House of Commons, but that a targeted compensation scheme would not be practical, arguing that most 1950s-born women were already aware of the changes through public information campaigns, and that a flat-rate scheme could cost up to £10.3 billion, which they deemed an “unjustifiable use of public money.”
This comes despite a 2024 report by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) suggested compensation of between £1,000 and £2,950 should be paid to those affected.
The Government response to the petition said “We apologised for not sending State Pension age letters sooner. Deciding not to pay compensation and the Ombudsman’s report relate to that, not the petition’s “hardship caused by pension changes”.
It goes on to say that “the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) investigated the way State Pension age changes were communicated to women born in the 1950s and whether within a specific time period there was maladministration and injustice and if so, whether it warrants compensation. They did not examine the “financial, emotional and personal hardship experienced by 1950s women caused by pension changes” that the petition focuses on and which relate to the decision, first taken by Parliament in 1995, to equalise the State Pension age for men and women nor that to accelerate the increases in 2011 taken by the Conservative and Liberal Democrat Coalition.
The PHSO’s findings relate narrowly to a delay in sending letters over a relatively short period. The Ombudsman found that the Department’s communications met expected standards between 1995 and 2004. But that between 2005 and 2007 there was a 28 month delay in sending personalised letters to women affected and that this was maladministration.”
Many MPs have criticised the Government for their handling of the WASPI case and for not accepting the PHSO report and compensation amounts.
The CSPA which has supported the WASPI campaign alongside many other organisations will continue to back the campaign for compensation and will keep members informed going forwards.
The full Government response to the petition can be found on: Government apology and compensation for 1950s Women affected by pension changes – Petitions
The Secretary of State response from 29th January can be found on: Government response to Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s Investigation into Women’s State Pension age communications and associated issues – GOV.UK
