Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department maintains records of deferred Armed Forces pensions that have not been claimed on reaching pension age.

Yes it does. Should a pension remain unclaimed for 60 days attempts are made to trace an address through a financial tracing company; if the trace is successful, a claim form is issued.

The department relies on Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS) scheme members to keep their contact details up to date after leaving service, and the onus remains on members to claim deferred benefits when they become due for payment.

The tracing campaign 'Service to Civvy - Are You Pension Ready?' is aimed at Service Personnel, families and veterans to highlight to those audience groups the importance of keeping their records up to date, notifying the AFPS Scheme administrators of a change of circumstances and applying for their pension at the right time. Details are at the following link:

https://www.armedforcescovenant.gov.uk/service-to-civvy-are-you-pension-ready/