Liz Saville Roberts, Dwyfor Meirionnydd MP calls for Waspi women vote

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00:00And unlike Labour in government, Plaid Cymru's support for 1950s-born women has not swayed with the tide.

00:06We believe it is inexcusable that the Labour government has refused the recommendation of its own regulator,

00:12the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman, to provide compensation,

00:16justified by what we've always heard, saying the cost would not be fair or proportionate use of taxpayers' money.

00:23Paper justice, justice without compensation, without redress,

00:27is an insult to a system which bothers to pretend that the Ombudsman's offices can protect the citizen

00:35from the incompetency or the failures of the state.

00:38As things stand, this isn't even a tissue of justice.

00:42It's particularly unjustifiable because the Ombudsman makes it clear in its final report

00:46that finite resources should not be an excuse for failing to provide a fair remedy.

00:52But the level of compensation set out by the Ombudsman does not go far enough in the first place.

00:56It does little to account for the impact, both financial and otherwise, of affected 1950s-born women.

01:02Plaid Cymru have consistently supported compensation of at least level 5 on the Ombudsman scale between £3,000 and £9,950.

01:13Now, these were women who, during their careers, their voices were not heard.

01:19That is the experience of many of them and many of us.

01:22It is a shameful thing that with the Labour government in power, their voices remain unheard.

01:28Their impact on 1950s women deserves more than a meagre apology.

01:32We have it, and I am very grateful to the Member for South Holland and the Deepings for bringing this debate,

01:38we have it in our power to have Opposition Day debates.

01:40There are 20 within a parliamentary session.

01:43That would be a means of bringing a vote to the floor of the House,

01:47and I would urge those parties who have it within their gift to bring forward an Opposition Day debate

01:52to do so to hear those voices and to have it recorded.