Ministers will reconsider their decision to not award compensation to the so-called Waspi women, Pat McFadden has told the Commons.
The Work and Pensions Secretary said the Government would retake the decision to deny compensation to the women born in the 1950s, whose state pension age was raised so it would be equal with men.
He said “evidence” which was not shown to his predecessor Liz Kendall when she made the decision last December had since come to light and needed to be considered.
The decision to refuse compensation was made despite a recommendation by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) the women should be paid up to £2,950 each, a package with a potential total cost of £10.5 billion to the public purse, as poor communication meant they had lost out on the chance to plan their retirement finances.
Mr McFadden, however, suggested to MPs that reconsidering the decision did not mean the Government would end up awarding the women compensation.
He told the Commons: “Retaking this decision should not be taken as an indication that Government will necessarily decide that it should award financial redress.
“The work will begin immediately and I will update the House on the decision as soon as a conclusion is reached.”
