Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to reduce delays to the War Pension Scheme.

The MOD has introduced a range of measures to improve War Pension Scheme claim processing times. These include flexible resource management, allowing teams to reallocate staff as needed and training personnel in multiple skillsets to enhance efficiency and resilience.

To accelerate the clearance of outstanding claims, overtime and weekend working have been implemented alongside the additional recruitment of administrative and caseworker staff.

Furthermore, a dedicated taskforce has been established to support service delivery improvements. This taskforce focuses on stabilising the system, monitoring operational performance, and identifying areas for improvement.

Throughout the claims process, all cases are managed in strict date order at every stage to ensure fairness, with priority given to those with a terminal illness and to claimants over the age of 90.