The latest SNP motion for a backbench debate is as follows:
“This House welcomes the Landman Economics Report into the impact of the changes to pension arrangements for women born in the 1950s who will lose out from the Pensions Act 2011; acknowledges that the report identifies an affordable solution for those affected during this Parliamentary period; further notes that the report deals with the women affected by the steepest hike in the state pension age and applauds its solution of slowing down that increase in order to give adequate time for women affected by the acceleration; further reiterates its support for equalisation; regrets the pace of change and lack of support for the women affected; and calls for this injustice to end by implementing the recommendations of this report and by moving to slow down the increase of state pension age for those born after 1955.”
The motion carries cross party support for a debate and we hope that it will carry such support following the debate.
The motion as you can see applauds the role of our report presenting a solution but as this is only a step in the right direction.
Our ask from that report is a reversal of the 2011 act and the severe increase in pensionable age in the short term. This will delay the increase to retirement at 65 by as much as two and a half years from the current timetable.
The cost of this would be £8 billion – we considered this was a reasonable ask.
Our report would also see the increase to pensionable age increasing to 66 being further pushed out to the next Parliament.
We will use the debate to highlight the intention of our report which is to deal with the steep increase in pensionable age over a short period.
While the SNP have always agreed with the equalisation of the state pension age, actions by the UKG in the 2011 Act are just a step too far.
Our report lays a road map to deal with the women who will be affected by the steepest hike and thus most disadvantaged by these changes.
WASPI and WASPI Voice have both welcomed the work that the SNP have done on this issue and view it as a step forward.
We will continue to work for the implementation of the recommendations in our report and call for the UKG to deliver justice for all the WASPI women by delivering fair transitional arrangements.
