§ Mr. John BrowneTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will obtain an estimate, on the open insurance market, of the approximate annual premium required to provide blanket insurance cover against injury whilst on duty—equivalent to that generally accepted in industry—for(a) all armed service personnel, and (b) all civilian personnel under the command of the Ministry of Defence.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonNo. Service and civilian personnel are eligible for benefits under the Armed Forces pension scheme and principal civil service pension scheme respectively where injury or illness results in premature retirement. In addition, the war pensions scheme administered by the Department of Social Security provides benefits to former service personnel who experience disability attributable to their service in the Armed Forces. Civilian personnel are eligible for an enhanced pension for loss of earning capacity resulting from injury or illness attributable to their employment. All personnel are eligible for compensation when the injury or illness results from MOD negligence. A voluntary personal accident insurance scheme is available for service personnel and a similar scheme is likely to be offered to civilian personnel.