Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to reduce differences between survivor pensions received by surviving married partners in same-sex partnerships and those in mixed-sex partnerships, in both the public and private sectors and when they consider full equality will be achieved in that area.

The Government has carried out a review of survivor benefits in occupational pension schemes. The review was carried out jointly by the Department for Work and Pensions and HM Treasury, and was published in June 2014. It considered the differences in survivor benefits between different groups, and the costs and effects of eliminating the differences.

The Government is considering the findings of the review, which provided important information on the costs and other effects of eliminating or reducing differences in survivor benefit provision.

A decision on the review will be made and a response issued in due course, however it is vital that the findings are considered thoroughly before doing so.