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Written question asked by Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative) on Tuesday, 7 May 2024, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 9 May 2024. It was answered by Andrew Murrison (Conservative) on Wednesday, 15 May 2024 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

War Widow(er)s Recognition Payment

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) shortest, (b) average and (c) longest time taken is between application to and a payment under the War Widows Recognition Payment Scheme.

Answer

The War Widow(er)s Recognition Payment Scheme has received 330 applications and accepted and paid 209 claims since it was launched on 16 October 2023. Of those, 90 per cent of all claims have been processed and 97 per cent of payments made to those eligible within the published timescales. The Recognition Payment Scheme is delivering effectively to those it was established to recognise.

The shortest time taken between an application being received and a payment being made was 19 working days and the longest 88 working days, with an average of 56 working days.

The below table shows the number of applications made to the War Widow(er)s Recognition Payment Scheme in each month since it was launched on 16 October 2023.

Month

Number of applications received

October 2023

165

November 2023

86

December 2023

25

January 2024

15

February 2024

22

March 2024

10

April 2024

6

May 2024

1

Total

330

The scheme is administered by a dedicated team of six staff, and application support is available through the Veterans Welfare Service (VWS).

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
24873
Session
2023-24
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Applications War widow(er)s recognition payment
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk