Asked by: David Crausby (Labour - Bolton North East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make it his policy to restore compensation for war widows who remarried between 1973 and 2005.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
We recognise the unique commitment that Service families make to our country and remain sympathetic to the circumstances of this group of widows.
I can advise that Ministry of Defence officials continue to consider potential options given the financial and legal considerations faced by the Department. This work is on-going and any recommendations will require the agreement of other Government Departments.
Asked by: David Crausby (Labour - Bolton North East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make it his policy to restore compensation for war widows who remarried between 1973 and 2005.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
There are currently no plans to restore War Widows Pensions to those who had surrendered it on re-marriage or cohabitation, however, I remain sympathetic to the circumstances of this group of widows and have asked Ministry of Defence officials to continue to consider potential options given the financial and legal considerations we are faced with.
Asked by: David Crausby (Labour - Bolton North East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with the Royal British Legion on the Count Them In campaign.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) continues to support the aspiration of the Royal British Legion's (RBL) 'Count Them In' campaign to include a veteran's marker in the 2021 census to provide information to better support the commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant. In June this year I wrote to John Pullinger, the National Statistician, to request that the position set out in the Office for National Statistics' (ONS) response to the census consultation was revisited. Following discussions this has been agreed and further work is being taken forward. The ONS and the MOD have established a working group to review the decision not to record veterans in the 2021 census. To date it has met six times. The working group is developing a number of themes which have allowed us to develop a good understanding of each other's needs, including those of other Government Departments, Local Authorities and the charitable sector. The latest ONS statement on this issue can be found at the following address: https://www.ons.gov.uk/census/censustransformationprogramme/consultations/the2021censusinitialviewoncontentforenglandandwales/updateonmeetinginformationneedsonthearmedforcescommunityveterans The ONS will be inviting key stakeholders from across Government, Local Authorities and the charitable sector to a meeting this autumn to seek their further input on this issue. In addition, the MOD and the ONS met with the RBL in July this year to explain the work that both Departments are taking forward.