Government response to Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s Investigation into Women’s State Pension age communications and associated issues
Government response to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's investigation into Women’s State Pension age and associated issues.
Documents
Details
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) investigated complaints from women born in the 1950s that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) failed to provide them with accurate, adequate and timely information about changes to the State Pension age and the number of qualifying years needed to claim the full rate of the new State Pension. The PHSO also looked at DWP’s and the Independent Case Examiner’s complaint handling.
The PHSO managed their investigation in stages. In July 2021, the PHSO published their findings on State Pension age maladministration and a final report covering the remaining issues was published in March 2024.
The PHSO’s published findings are available on their website.
The government responseresponses
TheOn government’s17 detailedDecember 2024, the Secretary of State announced the Government’s response to the PHSO’s finalreport: oral report:statement Governmentto responseParliament.
On to11 November 2025, the ParliamentarySecretary andof HealthState Serviceannounced Ombudsman’sthat investigationthe intoGovernment Women’swould retake the decision about communications on State Pension age andbecause associatednew issuesinformation canhad become accessedto usinglight.
On 29 January 2026, the followingSecretary linkof (linkState announced the Government’s new response as it relates to becommunications inserted)on andState Pension age.
The Government response of 29 January 2026 replaces the oralpart statementof the Government response of 17 December 2024 that relates to Parliament.the communications on State Pension age.
Details
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) investigated complaints from women born in the 1950s that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) failed to provide them with accurate, adequate and timely information about changes to the State Pension age and the number of qualifying years needed to claim the full rate of the new State Pension. The PHSO also looked at DWP’s and the Independent Case Examiner’s complaint handling.
The PHSO managed their investigation in stages. In July 2021, the PHSO published their findings on State Pension age maladministration and a final report covering the remaining issues was published in March 2024.
The PHSO’s published findings are available on their website.
The government responseresponses
TheOn government’s17 detailedDecember 2024, the Secretary of State announced the Government’s response to the PHSO’s finalreport: oral report:statement Governmentto responseParliament.
On to11 November 2025, the ParliamentarySecretary andof HealthState Serviceannounced Ombudsman’sthat investigationthe intoGovernment Women’swould retake the decision about communications on State Pension age andbecause associatednew issuesinformation canhad become accessedto usinglight.
On 29 January 2026, the followingSecretary linkof (linkState announced the Government’s new response as it relates to becommunications inserted)on andState Pension age.
The Government response of 29 January 2026 replaces the oralpart statementof the Government response of 17 December 2024 that relates to Parliament.the communications on State Pension age.
Updates to this page
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Updated on 29 January 2026 with the Government’s new response as it relates to communications on State Pension age.
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First published.
Update history
2026-06-09 16:32
Added HTML versions of the following documents, Government’s new decision: Women’s State Pension age communications and Government response to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s investigation into Women’s State Pension age and associated issues.
2026-01-29 14:38
Added a link to the oral statement made to Parliament on 29 January 2026.
2026-01-29 12:01
Updated on 29 January 2026 with the Government’s new response as it relates to communications on State Pension age.
2024-12-17 12:46
First published.