EAST Renfrewshire’s MP has welcomed a new report that boosts efforts to secure compensation for women affected by “lost” pension payments.

Kirsten Oswald spoke out after the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman ruled the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) took too long to inform thousands of women born in the 1950s that the age they could draw their state pension was increasing.

Legislation introduced in 1995 saw the state pension age (SPA) for women rise from 60 to 65.

The ombudsman highlighted occasions where the DWP was alerted to failures in its systems for advising women of the changes.

Some efforts to correct this did not start until 2009.

The WASPI (Women Against State Pension Inequality) campaign estimates almost 6,200 women in East Renfrewshire were born in the 1950s, with the retirement plans of many of them disrupted as a result of DWP maladministration.

The report is said to mark a significant milestone for campaigners as they seek compensation, although the ombudsman holds no power to refund lost pensions.

Ms Oswald told the Barrhead News: “This damning report exposes multiple failings and instances of maladministration by the Department for Work and Pensions over many years.

“It is an indictment of the DWP’s poor handling of communications relating to increases in the state pension age, leaving women in the dark about when they would receive their state pension.

“Women born in the 1950s suffered a huge injustice at the hands of the DWP and it is time the UK Government recognised this.”

A DWP spokesperson said: “Both the High Court and Court of Appeal have supported the actions of the DWP, under successive governments dating back to 1995, and the Supreme Court refused the claimants permission to appeal.

“In a move towards gender equality, it was decided more than 25 years ago to make the SPA the same for men and women.”