§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what would be the annual cost of paying the widows of ex-service men a pension of half the rate of their late husband's, regardless of their marital status, income or capital resources. [18160]
§ Mr. SoamesThe armed forces pension scheme already provides a pension for eligible widows of former service men at half the rate of their late husbands'. This provision was introduced in 1973. Prior to that date, service widows' pensions were assessed at one third of the late husband's pension. The total cost of bringing all widows' pensions in issue at present up to the half rate would be around £27 million per year. In common with other public service occupational schemes, a widow's pension ceases on remarriage. There is, however, discretion to restore the original pension if the subsequent marriage has come to an end and the widow is financially worse off as a result. We estimate that the annual cost of continuing to pay pensions to service widows who remarry would be around £5 million.