More than 8,000 people have signed a new online petition calling for a public inquiry into the 1950s women state pension scandal.

Kay Clarke, the founding member of the largest 1950s women group in Wales, 1950s Women of Wales has posted the ‘Hold a Public Inquiry into state pension age changes for women’ petition on the petitions-parliament website.

It states: “We request a Public Inquiry into their State Pension age changes for women, which we believe have left many in a state of financial and mental despair. We believe the Government has had little or no consideration of the circumstances, historic inequality, mental health and wellbeing of 1950s women.”

The local organiser for Pembrokeshire and Carmarthen West said that ‘an inquiry is necessary to expose the truth’.

The petition currently has more than 8,000 signatures. At 10,000 signatures it would be entitled to a written response from the UK Government.

At 100,000, it would be considered by the Petitions Committee for debate in Parliament.

Western Telegraph: 1950s Women of Wales protesting against the state pension injustices.

After a six-year investigation, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) published its final report on March 21 which said that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) failed to adequately communicate changes to women’s State Pension age, and those affected are owed compensation.

To date the UK Government has failed to respond to that request and failed to respond to a request for mediation with representatives from all 50s womens groups. The Ombudsman has asked Parliament to intervene and ‘act swiftly’ to make sure a compensation scheme is established.

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Mel Stride MP, recently said he will return to the House of Commons ‘when there is something to say’ about a decision on whether women born in the 1950s affected by changes to the state pension age should receive compensation.

The Pembrokeshire and Carmarthen West 1950s Women of Wales group, has now lodged an official complaint with the Ombudsman and the APPG (All Party Parliamentary Group) in relation to the 1950s women and the PHSO report.

“Everyone was floored by the outcome last month, which was derisory and insulting for women born in the 1950s, the majority of whom who were not told about a change to their state pension,” said Jackie.

“We believe the PHSO investigation has been flawed and full of irregularities and mistakes since its inception, as it failed to take into consideration proven discrimination and only investigated maladministration, which turned out to be partial.

“The Ombudsman should have been legally challenged at stage one, as they wiped out 10 years of maladministration (95 to 2005) simply because the civil service code of practice did not mention/include the duty to inform those involved. So they couldn't be accused of maladministration”.

Any actual financial remedy, could be through a Parliamentary mechanism such as the CEDAW Temporary Special Measure.

Jackie says that the UK Government has an obligation to 1950s-born women arising out of the direct discrimination exercised against them when the state pension age was raised from 60 years to 65 years.

The 1950s-born women were specifically targeted as the group that would bear the burden of this transition. No notice was given and, when the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) eventually did begin notifications this was inadequate, sporadic, disorganised and is recognised as infused with maladministration.

“Any proposal to 'pay off' the 1950s-born women with a sum that does not equate to their rightful entitlement is one inconsistent with the Equality Act 2010 and the international obligations of government and Parliament as per the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women,” said Jackie.

“No member of government and no member of parliament should accede to a position where she/he supports a breach of domestic law and ignores or condones ignorance of international law. “

Jackie has now been invited along with Kay Clarke to meet with APPG co chairs, Rebecca Long Bailey MP and Peter Aldous later this month to discuss the issue further.

“The voices of the 50s Women of Wales have not been heard by the PHSO and further evidence needs to be presented along with the ask of Welsh Parliament that the women should be compensated for the economic loss and the impact that this has had on their lives and that posthumous payments should be made to the estates of those that have passed away,” said Jackie.