🔴OPEN LETTER (from CEDAWinLAW to the newly appointed Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman)

Dear Paula Sussex

JUSTICE: MEDIATION & COMPROMISE

We note the Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office comments this week that a humble address be presented to His Majesty praying for your appointment as PHSO for England adding the importance the Ombudsman's role plays in holding public service providers to account and achieving justice for complainants.

"I commend Paula Sussex to the House for the role of Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration and Health Service Commissioner for England."
Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office

CEDAWinLAW wishes you well in your imminent appointment and looks forward to meeting with you to discuss Mediation on behalf of the 3.5m 1950s Women it represents.

The Hon Dr Jocelynne Scutt AO and I met with the Interim PHSO, Rebecca Hilsenrath, last year when the statutory obligations under UK & International Laws were highlighted as much earlier notified to her predecessor Sir Rob Behrens.

My colleague, Ann Fenner, will kindly provide the enforceable evidence as detailed in The President's Report and The Judge's Report authored by Dr Scutt: a Paper, 'Mr Hunt and the law' will also be provided for the same record. 

We welcome the Parliamentary Secretary's above note on the importance of achieving justice for complainants, namely, the 3.5m 1950's Women victims of Discrimination and Maladministration.

Likewise, we welcome the point made by PACAC's Third Special Report of Session 2023-24 welcoming the number of cases resolved by Mediation and to widen the types of cases resolved to include more complex cases, undoubtedly, the case of 1950s Women fits perfectly into PACAC's description.

The new historic Civil Procedure Rules on Alternative Dispute Resolution (Mediation) will be well known to you as a trained Barrister and the fact that no legal challenge need be on foot to initiate Mediation.

A Top 500 Mediation team is on standby to be considered for the neutral role of mediators of which Ministers and all the APPG (State Pension) Members are aware.

The APPG Co-Chairs and the Pension Minister plan to meet this month to discuss matters in hand, as agreed at the Westminster Hall debate on 17th March 2025.

"Now would be a good time for the (Pension) Minister to meet with groups that are campaigning on behalf of 1950s Women and look at the compensation mechanisms and Mediation proposals that have been suggested."
Rebecca Long-Bailey MP
Co-Chair
APPG (State Pensions)

CEDAWinLAW thereafter looks forward to presenting, as agreed with the Co-Chairs, 'Justice: Mediation & Compromise' to the APPG Members.

We trust your colleagues who are copied in will confirm receipt of this notification of high importance and duly bring it to your attention with a focus on setting-up an in person meeting with you, in due haste.

With best wishes

Joanne Welch
Founder
backto60
CEDAWinLAW

Copies to:
Ministers (DWP/Treasury)
CEO PHSO, Rebecca Hilsenrath
APPG (State Pension) Members
Work & Pension Select Committee Members
Public Administration & Constitutional Affairs Committee Members

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Recently, in March 2025, Mary Lawlor, the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights Defenders has said:

“Each year … States tell me how much they are doing to protect human rights defenders. Yet each day I see this is not true. HRDs need action, not just assurances. Everyone — States & individuals — has a role to play”

Listen for yourself by clicking below:

Mary Lawlor, Special Rapporteur for Human Rights Defenders speaking at the Human Rights Council

Please sign and share this petition widely to join CEDAWinLAW in calling for mediation!