Remember those poor pensioners who lost their pensions after relying on dodgy advice in a Government leaflet?
Even though the Parliamentary Ombudsman had ruled that the advice contained in the leaflet was “inaccurate, incomplete, unclear and inconsistent”, the Government looked the other way and refused to compensate them.
Good news for them. The High Court has today held that the Government was wrong to reject the Ombudsman’s report. This means that the Government will now have to revisit the Ombudsman’s report and consider how to resolve the situation. This will most likely lead to some form of compensation for the pensioners.
The Government had previously refused to countenance compensation, instead uttering some laughable, sanctimonious drivel about its fiscal responsibilities. This from a Government that has ‘excelled’ in inefficiency, waste, confused tax policies, and all-round economic incompetence.
Far too many people have suffered the consequences of this Government’s ham-fisted and incompetent approach to finance; pensioners, tax credits claimants, Railtrack shareholders, small businesses, investors, the ordinary taxpayer, all have suffered. Tax credits are overpaid, and then reclaimed all at once, causing hardship to claimants. Misleading advice is given to investors, who suffer loss after relying on the advice. Tax laws are made, and then just as quickly changed, causing uncertainty, and in many cases, loss to people who have laid out money in reliance on the law. Sometimes, changes are made with harmful and far-reaching retrospective effects, so that people are then forced to go back and undo financial arrangements they made many years ago, even before this Government came into office.
What a risky and precarious climate in which we now do business and invest, and it has been created by Labour. In most cases, the Government has simply shrugged its shoulders and let the losses lie where they fell. That should not happen this time. Even though it will have to dip into public funds to do so, the Government must compensate these pensioners. It is surely the right thing to do.
February 21st, 2007 at 5:45 pm
Blair was saying earlier today that £1.8bn has been set aside for pensioners etc. I’l believe it when I see a pensioner on television saying that he or she has received some compensation.
This Government is shamefully slow to own up to its mistakes, yet are quick to don sackcloth and ashes when similar mistakes happen elsewhere. Remember Trade Minister Ian McCartney’s ’sorrow’ over Farepak? Asking MPs to give up some of their salary to help Farepak customers? These pensioners have been treated worse than the Farepak customers, yet the very Government which caused their suffering, refused to help them.
Then we have Peter Hain urging City employees to give up two-thirds of their bonuses to deprived communities. What, Peter, you mean like pensioners? Thanks to your Government’s policies, they have been deprived enough. So why was the Government dragging its feet, refusing to compensate them, until they were forced to hire a lawyer to fight their case in court?
They make me sick, the whole lot of them.
February 21st, 2007 at 7:12 pm
This will most likely lead to some form of compensation for the pensioners.
Or not. They’ll squirm out of it some way.
February 21st, 2007 at 8:29 pm
This is yet another example of this government trying to sqirm out of its responsibilities. Good for the pensioners and thank goodness for the High Court who can see the injustice here. When will the electorate wake up and realise what a bunch of sleaze ridden, lying, hypocrites this government is? Hopefully they will at the local elections in May.
February 21st, 2007 at 9:32 pm
Did someone expect this government to do the right thing?
Tony & Co acting with integrity and fairness?
Have you been asleep the last ten years?
Name one group of people who are have benefitted from this unprincipled bunch of time share salesmen, apart from the burgeoning public sector.
Unfortunalety the only thing facing Tony across the despatch box is a magic mirror which reflects back to 1994.
February 25th, 2007 at 10:05 pm
Hey Bel,
Come here via pete. I agree broadly with the point you’re making about Occupational Pensions but you negate to mention that the High Court cleared the Government of 3 out of the 5 Ombudsman findings. Don’t get me wrong, the Government is not enjoying its most glorious hour over this, but let’s keep it in some scale. Please don’t hold me as a Government apologist I have blogged on it here .
February 27th, 2007 at 9:28 pm
Hello Barry Beef, welcome.
The Government may have been cleared on three points, but that does not change the fact that these people suffered loss in reliance on Government advice, and the Government refused to compensate them, instead preferring them to go through the ordeal of a court case. My wider point was that this was just one example in a long line of cases showing us how little thought the Government puts into its policies when our savings and income and businesses are at stake.
Off to check out your blog.