AN earlier letter of mine (December 7) highlighted how the Tory Government legislation moving the pension age from 60 back to 66 is causing widespread financial distress to women born in the 1950s. This has led to thousands of complaints claiming maladministration of the pension scheme being lodged with the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). However, it seems that the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) has now closed all complaints due to the granting of a judicial review.

The letters sent by the Independent Case Examiner (ICE) to the affected women states that “since it is not within the ICE remit to consider issues which are, or have been, subject to legal proceedings we are no longer in a position to proceed with the investigation of your complaint. As a result, I am writing to inform you that your complaint with this office has been closed”. This is absurd and it seems the army of staff hired by the DWP to deal with the backlog of complaints is now no longer required. Yet again an unpopular Tory Government is continuing to spend vast amounts of public money attempting to defend its unfair policies in the law courts. Does any of this sound familiar?

All of this could have been avoided of course had the previous Conservative Government paid attention to its own Pensions Minister Baroness Altmann, who served in the government between 2015 and 2016. She accepted that the changes to women's state pensions made by the Coalition Government in 2011 (moving the age from 65 to 66) was unfair and were made without adequate notice to the women affected. She was also horrified to discover that the DWP had failed to properly inform those affected by the huge 1995 changes (moving the age from 60 to 65). Indeed, the DWP inadvertently led these women to believe their state pension age was 60. It wrote to millions of them between 2003 and 2005 about their state pension, without bothering to mention that they would not be getting it at age 60. Even in 2015, when women’s pension age had already risen to 62, some pages on the Government’s website said women would start their pension at age 60. This of course is the same organisation (DWP) that last week decided to close all of the complaints against itself for maladministration. Three cheers for DWP anyone?

Baroness Altmann asked her officials to look into ways of financially helping the affected women, modelling different scenarios. However, none of her fellow Tory ministers (mostly male) were prepared to support her. Indeed, Secretary of State Iain Duncan Smith refused to engage with the 1950s women adversely affected whilst instructing Baroness Altmann not to speak to them. She was told by Mr Duncan Smith that the women would go away sooner or later.

The bad news for the Tory Government is that these women have not gone away and it is possible that the judicial review, with Michael Mansfield QC representing them, will lead to another costly and humiliating defeat for Mrs May (if she is still there) in the law courts.

John Smith,

9 Argyle Terrace, Dunblane.