WASPI women must get fast and fair compensation

At Westminster and beyond, myself and my SNP colleagues have continuously pressed the UK Government for almost a decade to address the state pension injustice faced by women born in the 1950s.

Today marks a significant milestone in the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign, and I welcome the long-overdue publication of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's final report which "has made a finding of failings by DWP in this case and has ruled that the women affected are owed compensation."

The report is utterly damning of the UK Government's Department for Work and Pensions, stating that the "DWP has clearly indicated that it will refuse to comply. This is unacceptable. The Department must do the right thing and it must be held to account for failure to do so."

The SNP is clear that the DWP must urgently acknowledge its failings, issue an apology to all women affected, and ensure that they have access to fast and fair compensation.

There is no excuse for the UK Government to continue to drag its heels on this matter, or to delay a compensation scheme. My SNP colleague Alan Brown MP has already laid the groundwork for them with his recently published Private Member's Bill on state pension inequality compensation.

Many WASPI women have been struggling for years and the UK Government cannot continue to deny them justice. As we have seen with the Post Office scandal, Westminster can act to end long-running injustices within a matter of weeks. There is absolutely no reason why WASPI women should not be afforded the same dignity with quick, decisive action.

The WASPI women have waited long enough. It is time for the UK Government to act, and for all Members of Parliament to back a fair and just resolution.

The SNP has long fought for Westminster to take responsibility, to fix the mess made by consecutive UK Governments, and give the WASPI women the compensation they are due. We will continue to do so until this historic wrong is put right.