A powerful committee of MPs is preparing to confront senior officials from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) over its handling of the long-running WASPI women scandal.
Ombudsman Sounds Alarm Over DWP Inaction
The move by the Work and Pensions Committee follows a stark warning from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO). The watchdog has expressed "serious concerns" about the DWP's commitment to addressing its failings in communicating state pension age changes to millions of women born in the 1950s.
In a letter to Committee Chair Debbie Abrahams, PHSO Chief Paula Sussex wrote that she was "very concerned" that work on a promised remedial action plan had been paused. She stated this indicates the DWP is "deprioritizing the need for remedial action" and called the delay a "disservice to the Department’s service users and complainants".
Broken Promises on an Action Plan
The controversy centres on commitments made by the former Secretary of State in December 2024. They pledged to work with the Ombudsman's office to develop a detailed action plan to ensure lessons were learned and to create a strategy for effective communication on state pensions.
Following this, PHSO staff engaged in two workshops with the DWP in April and June 2025 to help shape the plan, focusing on complaint handling and pension communication. The Ombudsman's office was assured a draft would be shared promptly after these sessions.
However, no written drafts have been provided for review since the last workshop in June 2025. Despite repeated requests for updates, the Permanent Secretary, Sir Peter Schofield, informed the PHSO in November that work on the action plan had been paused. The reason given was to prioritise support for Ministers in retaking the decision on whether to offer financial compensation to affected WASPI women.
High-Stakes Committee Session Ahead
The upcoming evidence session will see the Work and Pensions Committee question the DWP's most senior officials. Witnesses scheduled to appear include:
- Sir Peter Schofield KCB, Permanent Secretary, Department for Work and Pensions.
- Catherine Vaughan, Director General, Finance, Department for Work and Pensions.
- Barbara Bennett, Chief Executive and Director General, Jobs and Careers Service Operations, Department for Work and Pensions.
This parliamentary scrutiny places significant pressure on the DWP to account for the delays and to clarify its intentions regarding both the action plan and the highly anticipated decision on compensation for the WASPI women, who have campaigned for justice for years.
