Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made on achieving equal treatment for the 150-300 war widows who receive no war widow bereavement benefits due to remarrying or cohabiting between 1973 and 2005; and when his Department plans to make a decision on reinstating the full pension entitlement to that group.

The Government recognises the unique commitment that Service families make to our country and remains sympathetic to the circumstances of those widows who remarried or cohabited before 1 April 2015. However, this is a complex policy area and it is taking time to carefully consider the potential options within both financial and legal constraints.

The Department is currently considering how to take this issue forward. This work is ongoing, and any recommendations will have to first be agreed with other Government Departments.