Following the Government statement on the Ombudsman’s investigation into the way that changes to the state pension age were communicated to women born in the 1950s, Peter Aldous calls on the Government to work with Parliament to quickly agree a mechanism for remedy and points out that failure to comply with the Ombudsman’s recommendations would be unprecedented and go against our system of democratic checks and balances.
Peter Aldous (Waveney) (Con)
I am most grateful to my right hon. Friend for his statement. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman is itself WASPI, having been conceived in the 1950s. Does my right hon. Friend agree that a failure by Government to comply with its recommendations would be almost completely unprecedented over the past 70 years, and would in effect drive a coach and horses through an integral part of our system of democratic checks and balances? With that in mind, will he confirm that his Department will work in full haste with Parliament to agree a mechanism for remedy? Will he outline the work he is carrying out to address further concerns that have been raised over systematic failure by the DWP over several decades to properly communicate future pension changes?
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Mel Stride)
At the heart of this matter is the imperative to ensure that we fully and carefully examine the findings contained in the report. I will not be drawn today on where we may end up in respect of those findings, but I assure my hon. Friend that we will engage fully and constructively with Parliament on these matters.