§ LORD WINTERBOTTOMasked Her Majesty's Government whether they can now make a further statement about provision for Servicemen injured and the widows and children of those killed as a result of terrorist activity in Northern Ireland.
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR DEFENCE (LORD CARRINGTON)I hope to be able to make an announcement shortly about improved provision for death or injuries attributable to service under the Armed Forces occupational pension scheme. These arrangements will apply to all regular Servicemen wherever they are serving who give service on or after March 31, 1973.
These arrangements will not apply retrospectively; and so we have decided to introduce a special scheme of ex-gratia annual payments to supplement existing benefits in the case of those regular Servicemen or members of the Ulster Defence Regiment killed or invalided as a result of terrorist activity in Northern Ireland between August 1, 1969, and the end of March this year who, or whose families, are most in need.
The special annual payments will be in addition to any pensions paid under the war pensions instruments administered by the Department of Health and Social Security, the amount of which will not be affected. They will be designed mainly to help the young, junior men and their families who have no entitlement under the Forces occupational pension scheme, and so full account will be taken of any occupational pension when assessing the ex-gratia awards. Some account will also be taken of lump sums awarded as compensation by the Northern Ireland Courts 519WA which have ranged up to £20,000 and more in the case of widows, but in most cases some ex-gratia supplement will still be payable. The maximum ex-gratia payment will initially be £400 a year for disabled men, depending on the degree of his disability, and £300 a year for a widow, with £100 a year more for each dependent child up to a maximum of four. These annual payments will be treated as pensions for the purpose of Orders made under the Pensions Increase Act.
Individual cases will be reviewed and payments assessed as quickly as possible, and there is no need for anyone to apply for consideration. We hope to be able to notify the results to each eligible person during May, and payments will be effective from April 1, 1973.