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Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood has called on the UK Government to “rethink” plans to equalise the state pension age for men and women.

MPs are due to debate the impact of equalisation today.

The Government unveiled changes in 1995 to raise women’s pension age from 60 to 65 by 2020. But a 2011 Act speeded up the process so women would have a retirement age of 65 by 2018, with a pension age of 66 in place by 2020.

Ms Wood fears that people in Wales will be hit by the increase in the state pension age due to lower life expectancy. She also argues people will have less wealth to rely on in retirement.

'These women cannot go back and live their lives again'

She said: “The UK Government’s pension plans threaten to further punish women who have endured a working lifetime of lower pay and fewer opportunities than their male counterparts.

“While Plaid Cymru welcomes the equal treatment of women with regard to the state pension age, this also requires the equal treatment of women in other spheres such as the workplace, earnings and life opportunities...

“We urge the Government to phase in the equalisation of the state pension age over a longer time-frame so that women who are nearing retirement are able to plan better.

“At the moment the process is too fast and women nearing retirement age who were born on or after April 6, 1951 will suffer undue hardship as a consequence of the rushed equalisation. These women cannot go back and live their lives again so deserve better treatment from the Government.”

Sarah Rochira, Older People’s Commissioner for Wales, also had strong concerns.

She said: “Whilst in the long term it is important to equalise the age at which men and women can claim their state pension, it is essential that any changes do not have a detrimental impact upon women in the short term, something that seems to be the case under the current proposals.

“This is an issue that will affect a significant number of older women in Wales, many of whom will not be in a position to change the plans they have made for retirement, and steps must be taken to mitigate the impact that this will have on their lives.”

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Torfaen Labour MP and shadow Work and Pensions minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said: “Labour have repeatedly called on the Government to look again at transitional arrangements for the women born in the 1950s who have been hit hardest by the changes to state pension age. However time and again Government ministers have failed to listen to this group of women and to take seriously the impact that their ‘bad decision’ has had on their lives.

“The Labour party have been grappling with how best to implement transitional protections and we wish the Government would be more creative and come up with some options of their own given they have an army of civil servants available to look at this. So far there has been no engagement whatsoever.

“However one thing is for certain, inaction is no longer an option. The Government must make good on their promise to look properly at transitional arrangements for the 1950’s women without delay.”

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A spokeswoman for the Department for Work and Pensions said: “The existence of different State Pension ages for women and men represents a long-standing inequality, and the abolition of this discriminatory situation is long overdue.

“The last Government introduced future changes to the State Pension age for women and men, following extensive debates in both Houses of Parliament.”