16 minutes | Thursday, 21 March 2024
Thousands of women should get payouts because of the way changes to the state pension affected them, according to a watchdog.The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) said the women who were born in the 1950s didn't get their pension when they expected because they didn't know about the reforms. The PHSO report added that they are "owed" money by the Department for Work and Pensions. It criticised the department, claiming it has "clearly indicated that it will refuse to comply... this is unacceptable". On this episode, Niall Paterson explains why the pension reforms were pushed through quicker than initially planned by the then coalition government and discusses the proposals for compensation and whether the payouts are likely to happen. He's joined by Sky correspondent Shamaan Freeman-Powell and one of the Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) campaigners, Michele Carlile. Producer: Sydney Pead Assistant producer: Iona Brunker Interviews producer: Melissa Tutesigensi-Charles Editor: Paul Stanworth