Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made a comparative assessment of access to widow pensions for women who (a) cohabit and (b) remarry for widows of (i) police and (ii) armed forces personnel.

The 2015 police pension scheme is the scheme currently open to serving police officers. This scheme provides life-long survivor benefits for spouses, civil partners and unmarried partners, including those who remarry or cohabit after losing a spouse. The introduction of the 2006 police pension scheme meant that all eligible police officers were able to join a pension scheme with such survivor benefits.

Prior to 2006, the 1987 police pension scheme provides a pension for the widow, widower or civil partner of a police officer who dies. In common with most other public service pension schemes of that time, these benefits cease to be payable where the widow, widower or civil partner remarries or cohabits with another partner.

From 1 April 2015, the 1987 Police Pension Scheme was amended to allow widows, widowers and civil partners of police officers who have died as a result of an injury on duty to receive their survivor benefits for life regardless of remarriage, civil partnership or cohabitation. When the 1987 Police Pension Scheme was amended from 1 April 2015 by the previous government, estimates of the cost were made. There are no plans at this time to make any further estimates or undertake comparative assessments that might lead to changes to benefits accrued in the 1987 police scheme.

Policing is a devolved matter in both Scotland and Northern Ireland. Decisions of the Scottish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive should not form a precedent without due consideration of the Government’s continuing duty to ensure that public services are affordable, sustainable and fair in England and Wales.

A justification was made under the previous government for allowing all surviving partners of Armed Forces pension scheme members to retain their survivor’s pension for life, relating to the combination of factors that apply specifically to members of the Armed Forces and their families.