Overview

This bill aims to ensure equal treatment in the calculation and payment of pensions for widows and civil partners of deceased armed forces personnel who retired before 1973 and between 1973 and 2005. It mandates the government to equalize these pension payments to match current standards.

Description

The Forces Widows’ Pensions (Equality of Treatment) Bill mandates the Secretary of State to create regulations within 12 months of the bill's passage. These regulations will ensure that pensions paid to surviving spouses and civil partners of deceased armed forces personnel are calculated and paid equally, regardless of whether the deceased retired before March 31st, 1973, or between March 31st, 1973, and April 6th, 2005. The bill explicitly states that the Armed Forces Pension Scheme Order 2005 remains unaffected. The Secretary of State can make supplementary, incidental, consequential, transitory, transitional, or saving provisions as needed, including amending or repealing existing laws to achieve this equality. These regulations are subject to parliamentary approval.

Government Spending

The bill will result in increased government spending. The exact figure is not specified in the bill text, but it covers any sums paid by the Secretary of State to implement the act and any increase in existing payments made under other acts as a result of this bill. The funding is to be provided by Parliament.

Groups Affected

This bill directly affects:
• Widows and civil partners of deceased armed forces personnel who retired before March 31st, 1973.
• Widows and civil partners of deceased armed forces personnel who retired between March 31st, 1973, and April 6th, 2005.
These groups will potentially receive increased pension payments as a result of the bill's provisions. The UK government will also be affected, experiencing increased expenditure.

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