Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to bring pensions for Gurkha soldiers who retired before 1997 in line with the standard British Army pension.

The Government greatly values the service of all members of the Armed Forces, including the Gurkhas, who have a long and distinguished history of Service to the UK, both here and overseas. The Government takes its responsibilities to our Gurkha veterans very seriously and is committed to providing Gurkha veterans with a fair pension.

The 1948 Gurkha Pension Scheme is different to other Armed Forces Pension Schemes, but these differences are objectively and reasonably justified. 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 (ECHR).

The Government maintains that the 1948 Gurkha Pension Scheme continues to provide a good income for our Gurkha veterans living in Nepal, in accordance with the original scheme design.

As a Minister new to the Gurkha Pension issue, I look forward to meeting with the Ambassador of Nepal and the Gurkha veteran representatives in due course.