Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his Department will estimate the cost of equalising widows’ and children’s pension benefits for female teachers who served prior to 6 April 1988.

This Department has not made an estimate of the costs of equalising widowers’ and children’s pension benefits.

As part of the Government’s review of survivor benefits in occupational pension schemes in 2014, the Government Actuary’s Department estimated the expected additional cost for public service schemes if scheme benefits were retrospectively enhanced. The review looked at all survivor benefits, for example those for civil partners, same-sex married couples and widowers. It was estimated that the total cost would be in the region of £2.9 billion across the public sector, which equates to £600 million for the Teachers’ Pension Scheme. Included in the £600 million figure is an immediate payment in relation to those who are already in receipt of a survivor pension of approximately £200 million.