Ombudsman capitulates to DWP intransigence NOT to pay a penny and leaves it to MPs to decide
In what must be the most extraordinary provisional decision by any Parliamentary Ombudsman Rob Behrens has decided NOT to make any recommendations for compensation for maladministration he found affecting 3.5 million 50s born women who had to wait an extra six years for their pensions.
Some details of his confidential letter sent out to Waspi, MPs, the test case complainants and 500 other pensioners have leaked out and show basically the Ombudsman has , in my words.” kopped out ” of his job to compensate people wronged by public bodies. This is after spending six years – with various breaks – investigating the issue.
The letter reveals that the Department for Work and Pensions has put enormous pressure on the Ombudsman not to award anything by telling him before he has completed his final report they have no intention of paying it.
These are the key paragraphs:
The official Ombudsman website says the aim is to publish this as a final report in March.
So what are the repercussions if this goes ahead? It obviously means it would go to Parliament which would have to have a debate and a vote on various levels of compensation. But the Parliamentary agenda is largely in the hands of the government and government whips. The government still has a large majority and Rishi Sunak, the PM, has shown little, if any, interest in this issue. All the government has to do is put down a motion saying the DWP doesn’t want to pay any of the women and whip Tory MPs to vote for it.
There might be a small rebellion by Tories but not enough to defeat it. It is by no means certain that Labour would support it, despite the former shadow chancellor, John McDonnell promising £58 billion to settle this issue. Labour seeing itself in power later next year would not necessarily be keen on paying a multi billion package to the women when faced with a tight spending constraints.
The other extraordinary result of such a provisional decision is that this is a bitter blow to Waspi, who went down the Parliamentary Ombudsman route. The have raised huge sums of money from these women – all it turns out for nothing. They are still running a crowd funder – supposedly for a judicial review into the Ombudsman’s decision. They capitulated at the court door- going for the Ombudsman to rewrite his findings. Well he has now, and recommends they get nothing. Should they continue to raise money now it could be seen as fleecing their supporters as they now have nowhere to go.
The only bright light in this terrible situation is that CEDAWinLAW has now raised all the £15,000 it needs for lawyers to go ahead to work out a strategy to bring a Group Class action against the DWP. Since it looks like the only thing that could make the DWP listen is a court decision, this is the only avenue left.
But there is something worse in the Ombudsman’s provisional decision. Should it go to a vote in Parliament and Parliament votes to give them nothing, that is the end of the matter. Parliament is supreme and even the courts have to bow to Parliament. In other words, the Ombudsman’s decision, however he likes to dress it up, condemns 3.5 million mainly poor pensioners to go to their graves without a penny in compensation. Some friend of the oppressed indeed.
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Then what is the point of an ombudsman?
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Hi Lorraine
Obtain a copy of the book “What’s the point of the Ombudsman?” ISBN 9781999929145. Written by members of PHSO The Facts and edited by Della Reynolds. It will give you the answer that there is no point other than to shield the NHS and Government Departments. Alternatively go to PHSO The True Story website
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How appropriate it is that you publish this on the same day the Chancellor delivers his autumn statement. He has just told parliament that there is now more ‘fiscal headroom’ than he anticipated in March and that he is having a bit of a tax give-away.
If there is money to give away, or rather reduce the amount of tax he takes from us, I am left wondering how he is getting on with fully compensating those affected by:
The 1980’s blood contamination scandal
The Post Office Horizon scandal
The Windrush scandal
and now
The WASPI scandal.
I don’t profess to know the answers. What I do know is that, sadly, a great number of people have died waiting.
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Im a 50s woman but surely even Parliament must be bound by any anti discrimination laws as identified by CEDAWinLAW and therefore, not be above the class action?
I hope there is someone who can correct my assumption, and or explain to me how it is, that should Parliament have the last word and vote against us, they are able to override our rights identified by CEDAWinLAW.
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I’d rather wonder if the DWP did it to our MPs hmm what would they say
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This is appalling. It would not have been taxpayers money, it’s ours that we had paid over the years. Ours has been spent now by the government
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This is absolutely appalling!!!!
We always knew they would try and wriggle out of it!!!
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I wonder what the outcome would be if it was MPs and men and not #50women like me who had their pension stolen. I don’t wonder – this wouldn’t have dragged on so long, they wouldn’t have had to crowdfund, and more importantly it would never have happened to them.
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All this time ,to say there was maladministration and then opt out of any decision.Why am I not surprised.3 times my retirement date was changed and as I paid a married woman’s stamp and was widowed they also quietly changed the rules so did not inherit my husbands pension and only got half his serps.It sounds like if Cedawinlaw win in court Mps decisions top that and nothing will be paid and they know
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Rob Behrens is a failed ombudsman. Hope he doesn’t get paid for this very poor performance. He has not been independent but has bowed to pressure from the DWP. What about the 1950’s women? He agreed there had been maladministration, now he has given up. What a waste of time and money.
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3.5 million votes lost for the tories!
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Omg David thank you so much for all you have done to keep us informed I hope cedaw can put them in there place remember the hillsbough disaster it took 25 years but they never gave up and won in the end thank you once again
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The Chancellor’s Autumn Statement ‘fiscal drag’ is a stealth tax on many, including Triple Locked pensioners and #50sWomen and does not bode well for his Party in a General Election as he anticipates.
Any Parliamentary vote against the mobilised #50sWomen voting bloc will be met with their wrath and a rebellion by hundreds of MPs who signed our 4 Early Day Motions and also by Rt Hon Sir George Howarth’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Group of MPs that’s onside CEDAWinLAW.
As for a remedy:-
“The fundamental principles of equal treatment cannot depend upon how much money happens to be in the public coffers at any one time … that argument would not avail a private employer and should not avail the State.”.
Lady Hale
Former President
Supreme Court
“This is an important challenge for so many #50sWomen in this country. The weight of the evidence indicates a grave injustice to them, and we will robustly represent their interests as we move forward with the assistance of a first class legal team.”.
John Cooper KC
CEDAWinLAW invites women victims from all groups to join them and their first class legal team to have this injustice scrutinised in a court of law where victims’ proven and enforceable legal rights can be scrutinised and lawbreakers held to account.
No membership fee or form to complete. Simply support us online, and you are in.
We look forward to welcoming newcomers to join our veterans.
Joanne Welch
Founder
CEDAWinLAW
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Hi , I was born November 1960 and made the decision to take my full (40 year) NHS pension a few years before the pension age was changed as I had received a letter from DWP telling me what I would receive at state pension age ( then 60).
I cannot afford to live on the NHS pension alone and I am still working at 63 years plus with 46 full years of National Insurance paid. I am about to sell my home because I cannot carry on in a very intensive stressful role after all these years! I’m suffering from exhaustion and anxiety- I cared for my mum with Alzheimer’s for 10 years and now look after 2 grandchildren when my daughter is working. This has repercussions all the way along the line.
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I feel the Ombudsman has just signed death warrants for many 1950’s women, a lot will feel they want to give up as if they haven’t got blood on their hands as it is with the many that has already died fighting for NOTHING
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Pingback: Fears Waspi women won’t get any compensation after leaked memo from watchdog
I agree with equality, yet when I started work in 1972 I was paid 33% less than men in my work place for no other reason other than I was a woman whenever I complained I was told Yes but, you will have your pension at 60. I was never told of any change, I never received any letter. I had to give up work at 62 to look after my husband with dementia. I have had to spend savings to do this. It cannot be right that we are not compensated for the lost agreement of pension or compensation for the 4 years I worked doing the same job as a man [the act was dated 1970. But the government said they could not give equal pay immediately even though it was wrong as it was too expensive and 5 years were need for firms to get used to equal pay, But women would retire at 60 so it was not unfair. Sounds familiar. Our age group have been not dealt a bad hand but one which cannot be justified. We were discriminated against in the 70s and it continues today, by politicians who simply do not care and government lackeys who think keeping their own job is more important than doing what they are supposed to do
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A watchdog without teeth is a lapdog and the Ombudsman ‘Service’ is demonstrating this, time and again, as my recent dealings with them have proved. They have forgotten they should be OUR champions not cosying up with their masters – the government and the DWP in this case. Just another example of the total lack of integrity and decency sponsored by our government and spoonfed down to all echelons of public services and the business world. We need protecting against their excesses! I have said previously that, like those given HIV through blood products, the government and its lackeys are just waiting for us to die; I note the affected numbers quoted are reducing.
We need an independent body to represent the interests of normal people who still expect governments, public services and companies to behave decently and ‘treat us right’ – that is certainly not the Ombudsman.
Thank goodness there are still a few around like you, Michael Mansfield and all of the others who have fought this cause.
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Well I think a petition should be put together that no pensioners at all to vote for conservatives lets see what they make of that less votes as we know most of the votes are from pensioners so hey ho let’s go and jog on bunch of bloody thieves steal from the poor and give to the rich a angry voter ☺️☺️☺️😡☺️
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If parliament members won’t support this injustice against 50s women, I think we have to speak with our votes at the next general election.
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Talk about passing the buck! We wait all this time for them to come to the conclusion that they can’t come to a conclusion! It was their job and they are refusing to do it. Tell you what, it’s an absolute cop out! Don’t lose faith waspi’s, parliament here we come!
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What about compensation for all the men who had to wait till 65 to get their pensions, when women were getting theirs’ at 60? That was a genuine injustice for the millions of men who didn’t have private pensions.
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Don’t be ridiculous.
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It’s always a man who has no sympathy to this gross injustice to women. Men have always got their pensions at 65 so how could they justify getting compensation. Women principally either stayed at home to raise a family or only worked part time. They had no choice then because they also didn’t get equal pay, even if they were doing the same job as a man. They didn’t have the opportunity to put money aside for a pension.
The main gripe in all of this is that women did not get enough notice about the changes, so had little time to do anything about it. The government changed the goal posts when they decided to accelerate the age that women would receive their state pension. In my case, I was one of the first group of women who got my pension at 65 in November 2018. I only ever received a letter informing me I would get my pension at 63 years, but they then changed it to 65, so I had to wait another 2 years. This was because from April 2016 they changed the waiting period to 4 months for every 1 month date of birth from April 1950. So yes we have been treated VERY badly and I, as do millions of other women feel we have been shafted by the government!
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i waited 6 year without a clue or letter from DWP it’s not so much what they did but how they did it .to pick on my generation born 1956 not saying loose a year..one step get it at 61 fine And so on 1957 born get pension 61 but the unfair 6 step as I jokingly call it due at 60 get it at 65 o no wait 66 we decided just to punish us women who wear never given equal wages..it must be men who work for DWP as any women can see injustices staring us in the face steal £60.000 from me and laugh ..we will never give up the fight we paid stamps n.i I never could afford a private pension so what about us..You men should think if I took 6 years of your wages without any notice you may lose your home and be a beggar…what goes round comes round..just play fair..for all your wives. sisters. anot ts.mothers and date I mention wives born in 50s think again do you really expect us to vote for such a corrupt Parliament.. you are losing almost every women’s vote who is now a pensioner or soon to be..Think again !!Sunak.. maybe you are thinking of your own retirement.. I know Labour would support us for compo so you are down and out through this rough justice and DWP should hang there heads in shame on the Tories watch 🔎
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This man is very obviously siding with this corrupt Tory government which is disgusting.Robbed of thousands and now humiliated by this unscrupulous man.
I lost my best friend of nearly 40 years in May.She was 65.How many more women will die before we see justice.They STOLE our pension money then say it’ll cost the tax payer billions??? It’s our bloody money that we already paid wtf are they talking about???
Absolute theives.
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Don’t go down the route of listing women who’ve died before reaching pension age. The figures confirm that men on average die younger.
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This is an absolute disgrace the Ombudsman is not fit for purpose and should be sacked.The Dwp should not be able to put pressure on the ombusman he has found maladministration so do the right thing and pay the Waspi women their compensation we paid in the Dwp should pay out this is a travesty of injustice.
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Fraud this is the biggest Robbery of a vulnerable minority bigger then the great train robbery. How are they allowed to decide themselves in private away from public scrutiny? This is injustice to the 3.8 million 50s Women who have suffered still suffering lost homes
Lost businesses 270.000 their lives. Its Grand Theft, it is Fraud they the DWP and the politicians responsible the Ombudsman should all be Prosecuted. It was maladministration admitted it. It is time to put us back in the situation we
could have been in had we not been Robbed, Full recompense immediately. Women are dying you Thieving bs.
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This is disgraceful, nearly as bad as the Post Office Sub-masters scandal!
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Another cover up of a wrong doing !!
Maybe someone should make a film of what’s happened to the women that had their life pension stolen from them for six years by the government .
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Another injustice by this corrupt government who now no longer cover up their dirty deeds we the people are ruled by a handful of self important nobody’s
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I am 65 years of age and still have to work full time….which can be a struggle. I don’t have a husband, so cannot benefit from an extra income into my household. When I receive my state pension next year I will have to continue working as will not be able to afford to ‘retire’. Shocking treatment of 1950s born women who like myself, no doubt pay their bills on time and pay all of their taxes. No doubt the Ombudsman had a backhander.
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Shocking, disgraceful, underhanded, dishonest, cruel. ..the list of appropriate words could go on and on. Remember political parties, over 3.5 million potential voters are now waiting to see which party will stand up for WASPI women and agree a suitable compensation scheme for those cheated out of their rightful pension. I hope the 3.5 million mentioned above increases to include husbands, sons, daughters etc of those who have been affected. A huge number of potential lost votes! Conservatives made the decision to change pensions as a clear cost saving measure, so conservatives should now put it right. Do the right thing!
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another put down for the poor little people against government, once again the people get told to go away don’t complain, for we are supreme, to think we voted this lot in,shame on us.
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And what about the many men who suffered having to wait to 65 for all those years, when women were getting their pensions five years earlier? Do women have some sort of monopoly on hardship?
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If WASPI get no compensation then we have just been kicked into the long grass and disregarded ! Are we just useless old women now then !? This will be an absolute outrage ! Hope Parliament (Tories) are enjoying all their millions/billions !! It.s an absolute disgrace !! Shameful !
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