§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will ensure that widows of all pre-1973 Army pensioners are identified and reimbursed with full refund and supplement; and that reasonable effort is made to make refunds to estates where neither pensioner nor spouse has survived. [90620]
§ Mr. Doug HendersonWe are making every effort to review the case files of pre-1973 Army pensioners to identify the widows/widowers of individuals who might be eligible for a tax refund. Because of the numbers of files, their age and the way in which they are indexed, the process is not straightforward. Individual cases can be processed more quickly if widows who believe they may be entitled to a refund submit a claim to my Department. We have therefore sought to publicise the possible entitlement, and we are grateful for the assistance of the ex-Service organisations in this. It is more difficult to trace more distant entitlements where no pension is in payment because the scheme member and his immediate dependants have died or (in the case of children's pensions) have reached adulthood. But if claims with supporting evidence were submitted, the Inland Revenue would consider them and make a refund if entitlement is proved.