Written question asked by Mark Menzies (Conservative) on Monday, 16 April 2012, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 18 April 2012. It was answered by Lord Robathan (Conservative) on Monday, 30 April 2012 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Navy: Pensions

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to ensure that serving Royal Navy personnel on deployment have accurate information on proposed changes to their pensions; and whether there will be a consultation exercise on proposed changes to the pension scheme that includes the views of those on deployment.

Answer: Since the outset of the Hutton review, the Royal Navy has kept its personnel informed of proposed pension changes through a series of written briefings from the Second Sea Lord as Principal Personnel Officer. These are distributed through the chain of command to all units, irrespective of location, and are available on the Ministry of Defence (MOD) intranet.An initial consultation exercise for the new Armed Forces Pension Scheme was launched on 29 March 2012. As part of this consultation, all service personnel are being asked their views on the new scheme. A comprehensive package of material has been issued to personnel via the chain of command. Additionally, a series of information briefings and focus groups is being undertaken around the UK and overseas. The presentation slides and script are available on the MOD intranet and internet for those unable to attend. Service personnel will be informed of the outcome of the initial consultation exercise when an outline scheme design is published in late spring.

Secondary information