Written question asked by Michael Mates (Conservative) on Wednesday, 26 March 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 31 March 2008. It was answered by Derek Twigg (Labour) on Friday, 25 April 2008 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Armed Forces: Pensions

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will ask the Armed Forces Pay Review Body to examine (a) entitlements to and (b) payment of service pensions; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: The Armed Forces Pay Review Body (AFPRB) periodically value armed forces pensions relative to civilian pensions as part of its remit to have regard for the need for military pay to be broadly comparable with pay levels in civilian life.In addition, as part of the parliamentary passage of the 2004 Armed Forces Bill, it was agreed that the AFPRB would review the new Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2005—being introduced as part of that legislation—after its initial five years of operation in 2010.These are the only two forms of engagement that are planned between the AFPRB and the Armed Forces Pension Scheme. It would not be appropriate for the AFPRB to undertake the type of detailed examination of the service pension schemes described in the question. The schemes are subject to annual scrutiny by the National Audit Office in terms of overall payment of entitlements and to internal MOD audit procedures in terms of the accuracy of individual pension payments.

Secondary information