Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of permitting NHS staff to nominate a child instead of a partner to receive pension benefits in the event of the death of the staff member.

The NHS Pension Scheme already provides a generous set of protections for dependants in the event of a scheme member’s death. Pension benefits include a life assurance lump sum, a surviving partner pension and a child pension. Scheme members are permitted to nominate a child to receive the lump sum death benefit. Dependent child pensions may be paid until age 23 or later if the child is unable to earn a living due to permanent physical or mental infirmity. The amount payable may be higher if no surviving adult pension is payable.