Waspi women 報告（する）／憶測 is damning and DWP must apologise, says ROS ALTMANN

• e-mail

Rps Altmann: 'A cross party 治療（薬） is needed and needed quickly. These women have waited long enough'

Former 年金s 大臣 Ros Altmann is a long-time 選挙運動者 for older people's 権利s who now sits in the House of Lords.

She 答える／応じるs here to the 議会の Ombudsman's call to 議会 to 始める，決める up a 補償（金） 計画／陰謀 for 'Waspi' women whose 明言する／公表する 年金 age was 延期するd.

Lady Altmann calls on the Department for Work and 年金s to own up to its errors, and recounts her difficulties getting the 問題／発行する of women's 明言する／公表する 年金 age taken 本気で while working there as 大臣 between May 2015 and July 2016.

The 議会の Ombudsman's long-を待つd 報告（する）／憶測 into 政府 扱うing of 増加するs in women's 明言する／公表する 年金 age is finally out.?

It is damning.

It 最高潮の場面s （疑いを）晴らす failings and 示すs that millions of women are 借りがあるd an 陳謝, to 認める the 衝撃 on their 退職 計画（する）s, but does not recommend the level of 補償（金） many Waspi (Women Against 明言する／公表する 年金 不平等) women were hoping for.

Of course, an 陳謝 would be a start, but will not 支払う／賃金 the 法案s for those 急落（する），激減（する）d into poverty as a result of not knowing their 明言する／公表する 年金 age had been 増加するd.

Nor will it 治療（薬） the 苦しめる, 怒り／怒る and 苦悩 for women born during the 1950s.

Although the Ombudsman 報告（する）／憶測 示唆するs possible 是正する somewhere between £500 and £3000, it does not make 明確な／細部 推薦s to cover all Waspi women. And even these levels of 一面に覆う／毛布 補償（金） would cost taxpayers between around £2billion and £10billion.

These are 抱擁する sums and, because he believes the DWP has not even 定評のある its failings, the Ombudsman is 手渡すing 議会 the direct 責任／義務 for what happens next.

Of course, not all Waspi women deserve thousands of 続けざまに猛撃するs of 補償（金）. Even the Ombudsman says many women did know about the 増加する and they stayed working.

Others had 私的な and public 部門 年金s they could draw on before their 明言する／公表する 年金 started, but millions had no idea of the 延期する.

In fact, in 2004, the DWP's 調査するs showed that 抱擁する numbers of Waspi women had no idea their 明言する／公表する 年金 age would not be 60. Yet still it failed to 行為／法令／行動する for several more years. This is a serious 失敗 that 原因（となる）d 重要な 害（を与える） to many women.

When I was 大臣, it seemed I was the only person in the DWP who believed the 問題／発行する of women's 明言する／公表する 年金 age needed to be taken 本気で and that 政府 失敗s had 原因（となる）d 厳しい hardship.

Having （選挙などの）運動をするd against 2011 連合 政府 提案s to その上の 増加する women's 明言する／公表する 年金 age beyond the 1995 対策, I knew there were problems.

Unfortunately, 議会 ploughed ahead 関わりなく the 嘆願s from myself and many others.?

加速するing the 増加するs after 2015 was 不公平な and the Waspi （選挙などの）運動をする started around that time.

The women have been （選挙などの）運動をするing ever since for 補償（金）.?

I was hoping to 工夫する a 計画／陰謀 for those worst 影響する／感情d to （人命などを）奪う，主張する money to tide them over, but this was 拒絶するd both by fellow 大臣s and the women themselves.

After the separate BackTo60 group lost their 事例／患者 for 差別 in the High 法廷，裁判所, the 議会の Ombudsman was able to consider 控訴，上告s from women and its 報告（する）／憶測 示すs the end of that 過程.

What happens next is 完全に up to 議会 and I hope there will be swift 活動／戦闘. The first important 事柄 is for the DWP to own up to its errors, 問題／発行する an 陳謝 and 確実にする it has 過程s to 避ける this happening again.

Then 議会 must decide what, if any, 一面に覆う／毛布 補償（金） is 申し込む／申し出d and whether there will be a 計画／陰謀 that those worst 影響する／感情d can （人命などを）奪う，主張する from on a 事例／患者 by 事例／患者 basis.

But I am afraid the Waspi 選挙運動者s, who hoped for many thousands of 続けざまに猛撃するs for each of the 1950s-born women, are going to be disappointed.

Whatever is done, though, needs to happen 速く, to end this 現在進行中の saga that has 原因（となる）d so much 悲惨.?

Having been told, as a new 大臣, not to even 会合，会う those 影響する／感情d and that it was all about equality, I still tried to find a 治療（薬） and was hoping to 工夫する a 計画／陰謀 whereby those worst 影響する／感情d could （人命などを）奪う，主張する 是正する.?

かもしれない 早期に 接近 to 年金 credit, but that was きっぱりと 拒絶するd by all those around me.

WASPI 抗議する: Women gathered at the statue of political 行動主義者 Mary Barbour in Glasgow to 示す International Women's Day earlier this month

The Ombudsman 報告（する）／憶測 says that some ちらしs were published after the first 始める，決める of 明言する／公表する 年金 age changes introduced by the 1995 年金s 行為／法令／行動する, but most women would not have seen them.

Perhaps 大臣s and 公式の／役人s assumed the women would somehow know about the change without 存在 直接／まっすぐに told, and even though they had only ever seen women around them who reached age 60 all start getting their 明言する／公表する 年金.

This 失敗 is considered いっそう少なく egregious than the main finding, which is that even after the DWP knew, from its 調査するs around 2004, that women born in the 1950s still thought they would receive their 明言する／公表する 年金 at 60, it still failed to 行為／法令／行動する.

The DWP's own 政策 明言する／公表するs that （警察などへの）密告，告訴（状） for the public needs to be 的d, but the department has never 定評のある its 失敗 to adequately 知らせる women of what lay ahead.

This 失敗 to give women the important （警察などへの）密告，告訴（状） they should have had, is at the heart of the Ombudsman's findings of maladministration.

However, he does not recommen d that all those 影響する／感情d should receive 財政上の 補償（金）. Whatever is done, though, needs to happen 速く, to end this 現在進行中の saga that has 原因（となる）d so much 悲惨.

I 嫌疑者，容疑者／疑う there will now be a 議会の 調査 perhaps by the Work and 年金s select 委員会 and it will 需要・要求する an 陳謝 and 承認 of failings.

This should not be a political 問題／発行する. The actual 失敗s happened first under the 地位，任命する 1997 労働 行政 and then 構内／化合物d by the 連合 and 保守的な DWP 活動／戦闘s. So a cross party 治療（薬） is needed and needed quickly. These women have waited long enough.