§ Mr. Loveridgeasked the Secretary of State for Defence how and on what basis the sum of £254 has been arrived at as the single payment that would be made into the estate of a reservist whose death is attributable to service and arises in the course of peace-time exercise or training.
§ Mr. William RodgersThe sum of £254 represents £200 as uprated successively by the pensions increases effective from 1st December 1973–9.3 per cent.—and 1st December 1974–16.5 per cent.
In formulating the scheme of attributable benefits for reservists it was decided to base the rates of benefit precisely on those used for the ex-gratia pensions introduced for Service men injured and the widows and children of Service men 503W killed in Northern Ireland as a result of terrorist activity between August 1969 and 31st March 1973, after which date the present attributable pension scheme for the Regular Forces came into effect. These ex-gratia pensions ranged from £200 to £700 and were to be subject to subsequent pensions increases. For the reservists' scheme it was decided to make additional provision for a payment into the estate of a single man, and this was fixed at the lowest point of the range.