Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff in his Department work on the War Widows Recognition Payment Scheme.

The War Widow(er)s Recognition Payment Scheme has received 330 applications and accepted and paid 209 claims since it was launched on 16 October 2023. Of those, 90 per cent of all claims have been processed and 97 per cent of payments made to those eligible within the published timescales. The Recognition Payment Scheme is delivering effectively to those it was established to recognise.

The shortest time taken between an application being received and a payment being made was 19 working days and the longest 88 working days, with an average of 56 working days.

The below table shows the number of applications made to the War Widow(er)s Recognition Payment Scheme in each month since it was launched on 16 October 2023.

The scheme is administered by a dedicated team of six staff, and application support is available through the Veterans Welfare Service (VWS).