Asked by: Lord Touhig (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government in what format Armed Forces personnel receive advice about their pensions when they leave the services.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The single Services provide holistic support to their respective leavers and signpost to the services available to them. Although individual units may have their own bespoke processes, the Tri Service Resettlement policy (JSP 534) available at the link below explains the minimum level of support.
www.gov.uk/government/publications/tri-service-resettlement-manual-jsp-534
All Service leavers are given the opportunity to attend a Financial Aspects of Resettlement Brief by the Forces Pension Society. Briefs can be attended at any point in a Service person's career, however priority is given to Service leavers with nine months or less to discharge. Briefings are tailored, where numbers permit, to different rank groups, and spouses are welcome to attend.
All Service leavers are issued a Service Leavers' Guide designed to provide help and advise on a range of topics to assist with planning the transition to civilian life, and contains pension information and signposting. This was last reviewed in September 2023 and can be found at the following link:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/651c1168e4e658000d59d888/Service_Leavers_Guide_-_Sep_23.pdf
On discharge, Service leavers also receive a letter from the Joint Personnel Administration Centre (JPAC) detailing their pension entitlement and when this will be paid.
Further information and guidance relating to the Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS) is readily available on gov.uk at the following link:
www.gov.uk/guidance/pensions-and-compensation-for-veterans
The Armed Forces Pension Calculator can be accessed at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/armed-forces-pension-calculator
Asked by: Lord Touhig (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether there is a time limit within which former Armed Forces personnel can transfer their service pension to a new pensions provider.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Shadow Minister (Defence)
Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS) benefits can be transferred out up until 12 months before the date the member reaches pension benefit age.
If a member wishes to transfer their AFPS benefits into another Public Sector scheme, this must be done within 12 months of them joining the new Public Sector Scheme.
Both the Pension Schemes Act 2015 and the Taxation of Pensions Act 2014 stipulates the rule that prevents transfers from unfunded public service defined benefit schemes (such as the AFPS) to funded defined contribution schemes in the UK or abroad.
Once an AFPS pension is in payment, this cannot be transferred out.
Asked by: Lord Touhig (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many cases relating to sexual assault have faced trial in military courts in each year since 2010; and how many of these cases have resulted in (1) guilty and (2) not guilty verdicts.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The Ministry of Defence has made it absolutely clear there is no place for unacceptable behaviour in the Armed Forces. We recognise the great courage it takes to come forward and report a sexual offence and Commanding Officers must always refer any allegation of rape and sexual assault, or any other offence which may have a sexual element, to the Service Police. All allegations are thoroughly investigated, and support provided to victims.
Anyone found to fall short of the Services’ high standards or to have committed an offence is dealt with appropriately, which may include imprisonment and dismissal from service.
Starting from 2016, Defence has published an annual Official Statistic on Sexual Offending in the Service Justice System, currently covering the years 2015 to 2019: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sexual-offences-in-the-service-justice-system
Information for 2020 is due to be published in spring 2021. The following table provides a summary of those statistics, covering all sexual offending in the Service Justice System:
Year | No. of Individuals Court Martialled (Sexual Offences) | No. of Defendants Not Guilty | No. of Defendants Guilty |
2019 | 59 | 42 | 17 |
2018 | 55 | 33 | 21 |
2017 | 80 | 57 | 29 |
2016 | 51 | 31 | 22 |
2015 | 51 | 24 | 21 |
Table notes: Sexual offences as defined within sections 1 to 3, 5 to 15A, 16 to 25, 66 and 67 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 (or its historical equivalent) and section 15 of the Sexual Offences Act 1956.
The total number of individuals Court Martialled for sexual offences will not always equal the sum of the guilty and not guilty in each year as some cases were discontinued. Also, some defendants faced more than one charge and each of these charges will have a guilty/not guilty count in the corresponding column, resulting in more verdicts than defendants in some cases.
Comparable information for the years 2010 to 2014 has not been published as an Official Statistic, but information held by the Service Police covering rape and sexual assault cases and convictions in the Military Court Service between 2010 – 2013 has been published in answer to a Parliamentary Question:
https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm140407/text/140407w0003.htm
Asked by: Lord Touhig (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many British soldiers (1) have been injured and (2) have died in operations in Mali since the UK's deployment of troops as part of the UN's peacekeeping mission.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
Between 1 December 2020 and 12 January 2021 one member of the UK Armed Forces has been injured whilst deployed as part of the Long Range Reconnaissance Group, Mali. This was an accidental injury inside the camp and not involving operational activity.
No UK Service personnel have died during this time.
Asked by: Lord Touhig (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what support, if any, the Royal Air Force provides to British soldiers assigned to operations in Mali.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The UK supports two separate and distinct operations in Mali. We provide support to Operation BARKHANE, the French counter-terrorism operation, and MINUSMA, the UN peacekeeping mission to Mali.
UK forces deployed to MINUSMA have access to a range of UN air assets which enable movement and logistics operations. At present, there are no Royal Air Force assets assigned to MINUSMA. A small number of RAF personnel are embedded within the UK's MINUSMA deployment.
Three Royal Air Force Chinook helicopters are deployed to Mali in support of Operation BARKHANE.
Asked by: Lord Touhig (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many incidents involving civilian deaths in Mali have included the involvement of British soldiers.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
No incidents of civilian deaths have occurred in Mali that have involved British soldiers.