Written question asked by David Anderson (Labour) on Thursday, 18 June 2015, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 22 June 2015. It was answered by Mike Penning (Conservative) on Tuesday, 23 June 2015 on behalf of the Home Office.

Police: Pensions

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent representations she has received on disparities between the level of pensions paid to the widows of police officers in Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Answer: The Home Secretary received representations under the last Government setting out a compelling case on behalf of widows and widowers of police officers about their pension entitlement. In the Budget on 18 March, the Chancellor announced that widows, widowers and surviving civil partners of police officers who have died on duty in England and Wales will no longer lose their survivors’ benefits in future if they remarry, form a civil partnership or cohabit. The Home Office will consult the Police Advisory Board for England and Wales (PABEW) shortly on proposals to implement this change. As policing is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland and Scotland, the Northern Ireland Executive and Scottish Government respectively are responsible for the design and funding of police pensions in those parts of the United Kingdom.

Secondary information