§ Mr. Lathamasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will now seek to pay pensions for retired service personnel linked to the full rate of salary as recommended by the review body during 1976 to 1977 and 1983 to 1986; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. FreemanThe rates of salary recommended by the Armed Forces Pay Review Body in 1976 and 1977 were implemented, and pensions awarded to service personnel retiring in the periods during which those rates were in force were linked to rates of pay in the normal way. Service personnel retiring in the period 1983 to 1986, when implementation of pay levels recommended by review bodies were staged or delayed, received pensions related to the salaries of their rank current at the date of retirement with the exception of the special arrangements described in the written answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for Chislehurst (Mr. Sims) on 13 April 1984, at column 383. There are no plans to depart from the principles described in that answer.
§ Mr. Lathamasked the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received from the Officers' Pensions Society regarding retired pay for those who retired before 1960 without recognition for their service beyond the age of 55 years; and what action he intends to take in this matter.
§ Mr. FreemanNo representations have been received and no action is contemplated. Cost considerations and the likely repercussions on other service and public service pensions rule out any possibility of giving retrospective effort to changes made to the armed forces pension scheme since 1960.
§ Mr. Lathamasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will seek to amend the service retired pay code 594W so that a service man or woman retiring during 1986 before 30 June receives the same rate of pension as someone retiring after 1 July; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. FreemanNo. All new pensions beginning before and after 30 June 1986 have been or will be correctly related to salaries in payment at the time of retirement in accordance with the principles set out in my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's written answer to the hon. Member for Chislehurst (Mr. Sims) on 13 April 1984, at column 383.
§ Mr. Lathamasked the Secretary of State for Defence what would be the cost to public funds of uprating the pensions of all service widows on the pre-1960 service retirement codes from one-third of the forces family pension to one-half; what is the number of widows on the pre-1960 codes; and what action he intends to take in this matter.
§ Mr. FreemanThere are about 40,000 service widows on pre-1960 pension codes. Some receive pensions based on the minimum rate for their husbands rank, others receive pensions based on one third of their husbands pensions. Data from which to estimate the cost of increasing these pensions to half rate forces family pensions are not readily available. I regret I am unable to single out these particular widows for exceptional treatment from all the others receiving pensions at the third rate.
§ Mr. Lathamasked the Secretary of State for Defence how much a colonel retiring from the Army (a) at the compulsory retirement age in April after 37 years' service and (b) after 1 July with 35 years' service will receive by way of pension; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. FreemanThe maximum rate of pension for an officer is achieved on completing 34 years reckonable service. On compulsory retirement at age 55 in April 1986, or after 1 July 1986, the maximum rates of pension applicable to a colonel were £13,224 pa and £14,323 pa respectively.