A key date has been set for the WASPI (Women Against State Pension Inequality) campaign to have its judicial review claim heard. The case will be presented at the high court in a two-day hearing on December 9 and 10. The WASPI campaign told their supporters in an update following the announcement: « If our case is successful, the judge will rule that none of Government’s reasons for refusing compensation are rational and order them to go back to the drawing board. »
The Government announced at the end of last year there would be no compensation payouts for the 1950s-born women who were impacted by their state pension age increasing from 60 to 65 and then 66. WASPI is one of several campaign groups who represent these women, and who claim they were not properly informed of the policy change by the DWP.
Many women were unaware they would have to wait several more years to claim their state pension, ruining their retirement plans. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman looked into the issue, concluding their should be payouts for the women, ranging from £1,000 to £2,950.
But the Government announced at the end of last year there would be no compensation payouts for the women. Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall announced the decision in Parliament, arguing that most women did know of the increase in their state pension age and that sending out letters about the matter sooner would have made little difference.
The WASPI campaign applied for a judicial review of the decision earlier this year, with judge Jonathan Swift to now hear the case in December. Ahead of the court appearance, the DWP will be sending over materials to WASPI’s lawyers to make its case that the Government’s decision not to grant compensation was legitimate.
The WASPI campaign said in their latest update: « Meanwhile, later today [August 29] the Government will be serving hundreds – possibly thousands – of pages of material on our lawyers in support of its defence along with ‘Detailed Grounds of Resistance’ that explain that defence in full.
« This is a crucial stage in the litigation as our legal team will be scrutinising every page and preparing a response. If you, family or friends can afford to top up our CrowdJustice fighting fund a little to help cover the costs, that would be greatly appreciated. »
The fundraiser to help towards WASPI’s legal costs has raised more than £240,000 at present, with hopes for this to reach £270,000.
Many individual MPs support compensation for the WASPI women, while some political parties have consistently backed the cause, including the Liberal Democrats and the SNP.
