Clause 4 - Existing naval and marine pensions
Armed Forces(Pensions and Compensation) Bill
5:15 pm
Mr Ivor Caplin (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Ministry of Defence; Hove, Labour)
I do not accept that. If the hon. Gentleman had waited, I would have said that that extension to unmarried partners had been tested throughout the consultation process with members of the armed forces at all levels. There is considerable support for the change. We have had a lot of discussion today about recruitment and retention. If we are to recruit and retain people for our armed forces, we have to accept that armed forces broadly—
not exactly, but broadly—reflect the rest of society. That means that we should take an open and transparent approach to those who have a different sexuality or who do not wish to get married.
I should like to answer three questions. First, let me reassure the hon. Member for Blaby. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister fully supports the provisions of the Bill, including the extension to unmarried partners. Secondly, he hon. Gentleman needs to be aware that only 50 per cent. of our armed forces are married. The figures are freely available—I gave them to the Select Committee on 5 November. He also said that there had been legal challenges to the criteria. We have already made six payments under the criteria that I set out in the memorandum—the Defence Council instructions to which the hon. Gentleman referred. There have been no challenges yet, but we are aware that there could be.
I was asked what would happen in the event that somebody wanted to register his or her partner. It would be done in the same way as for any pension scheme and clarified on death or whenever the benefit
became due; then the payment would be made. The procedure is the same as it is for us in the parliamentary scheme, and we have followed it in the six cases since March 2003 to which I have referred.
Finally, before we vote—if we do; there has been so much disagreement that we might have to—I come to the hon. Member for Aldershot, who asked me about other groups. This is not retrospective; it is about making benefits available through the new scheme. Most importantly, it is about changing the Naval and Marine Pay and Pensions Act 1865 so that we can bring the payments for Royal Navy personnel up to date and reflect the scheme that they are in. That is dealt with by this clause.
Question put and agreed to.
Clause 4 ordered to stand part of the Bill.
Further consideration adjourned.—[Vernon Coaker.]
Adjourned accordingly at twenty-seven minutes past Five o'clock till Tuesday 24 February at five minutes to Nine o'clock.