Parliament gives WASPI update ahead of key debate but campaigners warn it 'isn't binding'

MPs are set to discuss an online petition next month that urges the UK Government to "fairly compensate" women born in the 1950s who were impacted by alterations to the State Pension age.

The petition, which has garnered the support of over 157,000 signatories on the petitions-parliament website, was initiated by Women Against State Pension Inequality campaign (WASPI) director, Jane Cowley.

On February 14, the Petitions Committee confirmed that the debate over the proposals will take place on Monday, March 17. Despite this, the WASPI campaign has highlighted that the debate's outcome is not binding, describing it as an "opportunity for all MPs to show support for compensation and upholding the PHSO (Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman) recommendations" from its conclusive report released in March last year.

Via a post on X, the WASPI campaign urged: "Please write to your MP, ask them to attend and speak up for compensation for their #WASPI constituents."

Following a six-year inquiry into grievances filed against the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), the PHSO determined that women born in the 1950s should have been given at least 28 months' additional personal notice by the UK Government regarding the planned changes to their State Pension age.

The PHSO also stated that for women who were not aware of the changes, the opportunity that additional notice would have given them to adjust their retirement plans was lost due to delay, reports the Daily Record.

The report suggested that "Parliament must urgently identify a mechanism for providing that appropriate remedy" and recommended compensation equivalent to Level four on its banding scale, which is worth between £1,000 and £2,950.

However, the UK Government