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Written question asked by Anne Milton (Independent (affiliation)) on Wednesday, 30 October 2019, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 4 November 2019. It was answered by Johnny Mercer (Conservative) on Tuesday, 5 November 2019 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.


War Widow(er)s: Pensions

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made on achieving equal treatment for the 150-300 war widows who receive no war widow bereavement benefits due to remarrying or cohabiting between 1973 and 2005; and when his Department plans to make a decision on reinstating the full pension entitlement to that group.

Answer

The Government recognises the unique commitment that Service families make to our country and remains sympathetic to the circumstances of those widows who remarried or cohabited before 1 April 2015. However, this is a complex policy area and it is taking time to carefully consider the potential options within both financial and legal constraints.

The Department is currently considering how to take this issue forward. This work is ongoing, and any recommendations will have to first be agreed with other Government Departments.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
7680
Session
2019-19
Subjects
Cohabitation Pensions War widow(er)s Remarriage
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk