§ Mr. SwayneTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 12 February 2002,Official Report, column 178W, on the armed forces pension scheme, when he will write to the hon. Member. [43325]
§ Dr. MoonieI wrote to the hon. Member on 6 June and a copy of my letter has been placed in the Library of the House.
§ Mr. BarkerTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the agencies that have been responsible for the administration of armed forces pensions since 1972. [60543]
§ Dr. MoonieUntil 1997, when the Armed Forces and Administration Agency (AFPAA) was formed as a partnership between Ministry of Defence and Electronic Data Services (EDS), administration for the armed forces pension scheme was undertaken in-house by the three single services. From 1997, AFPAA has undertaken the administration, ie the calculation and award, of pensions on behalf of Navy and RAF personnel, with administration for the Army remaining with that service until 1 October 2001, when it too became part of AFPAA.
The actual payment of pensions to retired forces personnel has since been made on MOD's behalf in respect of Navy and RAF personnel and Army officers, by the 1830s Paymaster (formerly Paymaster General). Payments of pensions for other ranks in the Army were retained in house until 1 October 2001, when these payments were also transferred to Paymaster.