Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Pension Sharing Orders are outstanding from his Department.

There are currently 475 Pension Sharing Orders (PSOs) waiting to be processed.

The delay in processing PSOs affected by the 2015 Pension Remedy is due to the initial divorce guidance being insufficient and further guidance was required from the Government Actuary's Department (GAD).

Unfortunately, because of the need for additional guidance and the time required to implement the changes, there is a large backlog of PSO requests. These are now being processed in the order received, with priority given to clearing outstanding cases before new requests.

In addition, the introduction of revised actuarial factors, and the additional time required to update administration systems and calculations following receipt of the revised factors, have affected the ability to implement PSOs.

The 2015 Pension Remedy, also known as the McCloud Judgement, is a complex piece of legislation that requires detailed guidance to implement, including aspects related to divorce. This challenge is not unique to the Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS) or the Ministry of Defence (MOD).

Updates are published at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pensions-and-compensation-for-veterans#divorce