MP speaking for WASPI cause

The debate was held in the House of Commons to discuss those women hit by the acceleration of the equalisation of the State Pension Age, first in 1995 and then in 2011.

The Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign works to lobby the Government to introduce transitional arrangements for those affected, many of whom were not notified about the changes and took early retirement, leaving them with lower-than-expected incomes.

Mrs Trevelyan said: “I was delighted to speak on behalf of my constituents and women across the country. I was honoured to have a number of WASPI women from my patch in the public gallery to watch the debate and see the points I raised on their behalf.

“These women served our nation in many different forms and guises and have been the backbone of our nation’s economy since they started work in the late 1960s.

“Women in Northumberland have faced age discrimination when trying to get back into the workplace and the problems of this issue are compounded by the problems of connectivity and rural transport – with some women living miles from bus stops and without the provision of a car, and hearing their stories has been incredibly frustrating as I want to help and support these women.”

She added: “Whatever the historical failures of communication on the changes to the pension age, and regardless of which Government, of whichever colour, failed to get this right over the past 20 years, the key questions for me are how we now start to work together, listen to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman and tackle the failure to deal with the WASPI women’s complaints.

“We want to ensure that the department puts in place rigorous processes for the pension age changes that are no doubt to come.”