Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department has held tripartite discussions with Gurkha veterans and the Government of Nepal since 2022.

The Bilateral Gurkha Veteran Welfare Committee, which is jointly chaired by the Minister for Defence People and Families and His Excellency, The Ambassador of Nepal, met on the following dates: 3 November 2022, 19 April 2023, and the 22 November 2023. The next Bilateral Gurkha Veteran Welfare Committee is due to take place 27 March 2024.

In order to facilitate in depth technical discussion about welfare and pension concerns, a working group was set up. The membership of the working group includes Government of Nepal representatives, Gurkha veterans and widows as well as MOD and officials from other relevant Government departments. The working group met on: 30 November 2022, 15 December 2022, 15 June 2023, and the 11 September 2023. The next working group is due to meet on the 21 February 2024.

The Government’s view is that the Gurkha Pension Scheme is fair. Gurkha pensions are different, but these differences are objectively and reasonably justified and well suited to the circumstances of the time. The legal basis for Gurkha pensions has been upheld by three Judicial Reviews since 2003, including a case that went to the European Court of Human Rights.

The Tripartite Agreement 1947 (TPA 1947) is an agreement between the UK, Nepal and India that provides the formal basis for the employment of the Brigade of Gurkhas within the British Army. There are no Tripartite discussions currently.