Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of the disparity in funding between the Gurkha Pension Scheme and pensions for UK members of the armed forces on the widows of Gurkhas.

It is not possible to directly compare the two pension schemes as they are designed for different purposes, but both are fair. Legacy Gurkha pensions are different but are objectively and reasonably justified and suited the circumstances of the time. Gurkhas who left after 15 years' service will have received pension payments for over 25 years before most British soldiers of the same rank and length of service would receive a pension under the AFPS. In most cases the lifetime value of a pension provided under the legacy GPS is of a similar or higher value than a pension provided under the AFPS. Provision for widows is set at 60% of pension for the GPS and 50% under AFPS.