Written question asked by Helen Goodman (Labour) on Tuesday, 15 October 2019, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 21 October 2019 (named day). It was answered by Johnny Mercer (Conservative) on Monday, 21 October 2019 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Veterans: Pensions

Question: If he will take steps to ensure that veterans who served before 1975 for less than 22 years are granted a service pension.

Answer: I understand and sympathise with the veterans affected. However, the issue of pre-1975 pensions is common to all contemporary public service schemes. Given the likely number of former employees, the financial impact of resolving legacy pension issues is expected to be very significant. There would also be potentially overwhelming practical and administrative difficulties in recreating precise service and pay records and calculating pension awards for people who served about half a century ago, or for their surviving dependants.

Secondary information