Overview

This bill aims to ensure equal treatment in the calculation and payment of pensions for surviving spouses and civil partners of deceased armed forces personnel who retired before 1973 and between 1973 and 2005. It mandates that the Secretary of State create regulations to standardize pension calculations for these periods.

Description

The bill compels the Secretary of State to create regulations within 12 months of its passing. These regulations must ensure pensions for surviving spouses and civil partners of deceased armed forces personnel are calculated and paid equally, regardless of whether the service member retired before March 31st, 1973, or between March 31st, 1973, and April 6th, 2005. The bill explicitly states that pensions under the Armed Forces Pension Scheme Order 2005 remain unaffected. The regulations can include supplementary, incidental, consequential, transitory, transitional, or saving provisions, and can amend or repeal existing legislation to achieve this equality. These regulations are subject to parliamentary approval.

Government Spending

The bill mandates that any costs associated with implementing the Secretary of State's responsibilities under the act, including any increase in sums payable under other acts as a result of this one, will be covered by parliamentary funding. Specific figures are not provided in the bill itself.

Groups Affected

• Surviving spouses and civil partners of deceased armed forces personnel: This bill directly impacts them by potentially increasing the amount of their pension payments if the current system is deemed unequal.
• The UK government: The government will bear the financial burden of implementing the changes to pension calculations.
• Parliament: Parliament will be involved in approving the regulations produced under the bill.

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