Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons payments from the (a) Armed Forces Pension Scheme and (b) War Pension Scheme that are paid out early due to injury in service are treated as income when being assessed for universal credit.

Payments made under the War Pension Scheme or the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme are not taken into account as income in Universal Credit.

Income-related benefits already partially disregard War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments for injuries and bereavement. With the introduction of Universal Credit, we have gone a step further, and have ensured that War Pensions and all Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments are fully disregarded in the assessment of income for Universal Credit.

All other regular, occupational and personal pension payments, that are designed to provide support to help people meet their living costs, are taken fully into account in the assessment of entitlement to Universal Credit.