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1687502

registered interest
date	05/02/2024
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Gurkhas: Pensions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what dates has the Minister for Defence People and Families had discussions with representatives from Nepal on pensions for Gurkha veterans in the UK in each year since 2019.
tabling member constituency	Wentworth and Dearne
tabling member printed	John Healey
uin	12920
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/02/2024 answer text <p>The Bilateral Gurkha Veteran Welfare Committee, which is jointly chaired by the Minister for Defence People and Families and His Excellency, The Ambassador of Nepal, met on the following dates: 3 November 2022, 19 April 2023, and the 22 November 2023. The next Bilateral Gurkha Veteran Welfare Committee is due to take place 27 March 2024.</p><p> </p><p>In order to facilitate in depth technical discussion about welfare and pension concerns, a working group was set up. The membership of the working group includes Government of Nepal representatives, Gurkha veterans and widows as well as MOD and officials from other relevant Government departments. The working group met on: 30 November 2022, 15 December 2022, 15 June 2023, and the 11 September 2023. The next working group is due to meet on the 21 February 2024.</p><p> </p><p>The Government’s view is that the Gurkha Pension Scheme is fair. Gurkha pensions are different, but these differences are objectively and reasonably justified and well suited to the circumstances of the time. 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.</p><p> </p><p>The Tripartite Agreement 1947 (TPA 1947) is an agreement between the UK, Nepal and India that provides the formal basis for the employment of the Brigade of Gurkhas within the British Army. There are no Tripartite discussions currently.</p> answering member constituency South West Wiltshire answering member printed Dr Andrew Murrison grouped question UIN 12921 12923 question first answered 15/02/2024 16:38:55 answering member 1466 label Biography information for Dr Andrew Murrison
tabling member	400 label Biography information for John Healey

1687503

registered interest
date	05/02/2024
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Gurkhas: Pensions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Government of Nepal on pensions for Gurkha veterans in the UK.
tabling member constituency	Wentworth and Dearne
tabling member printed	John Healey
uin	12921
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/02/2024 answer text <p>The Bilateral Gurkha Veteran Welfare Committee, which is jointly chaired by the Minister for Defence People and Families and His Excellency, The Ambassador of Nepal, met on the following dates: 3 November 2022, 19 April 2023, and the 22 November 2023. The next Bilateral Gurkha Veteran Welfare Committee is due to take place 27 March 2024.</p><p> </p><p>In order to facilitate in depth technical discussion about welfare and pension concerns, a working group was set up. The membership of the working group includes Government of Nepal representatives, Gurkha veterans and widows as well as MOD and officials from other relevant Government departments. The working group met on: 30 November 2022, 15 December 2022, 15 June 2023, and the 11 September 2023. The next working group is due to meet on the 21 February 2024.</p><p> </p><p>The Government’s view is that the Gurkha Pension Scheme is fair. Gurkha pensions are different, but these differences are objectively and reasonably justified and well suited to the circumstances of the time. 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.</p><p> </p><p>The Tripartite Agreement 1947 (TPA 1947) is an agreement between the UK, Nepal and India that provides the formal basis for the employment of the Brigade of Gurkhas within the British Army. There are no Tripartite discussions currently.</p> answering member constituency South West Wiltshire answering member printed Dr Andrew Murrison grouped question UIN 12920 12923 question first answered 15/02/2024 16:38:55 answering member 1466 label Biography information for Dr Andrew Murrison
tabling member	400 label Biography information for John Healey

1543555

registered interest
date	18/11/2022
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Gurkhas: Pensions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps to increase existing Gurkha medical pensions to the British Army rate; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Ealing, Southall
tabling member printed	Mr Virendra Sharma
uin	90781
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/11/2022 answer text <p>The Government greatly values the unique contribution that the Gurkhas have made and continue to make to the UK, and remains committed to providing Gurkhas a fair pension, including uplifts determined by formal review processes.</p><p> </p><p>Gurkha terms and conditions of service were initially set by the 1947 Tripartite Agreement and were altered as the Brigade’s circumstance changed over the years. Since 2007 Gurkhas have served on the same basis as the remainder of the British Army apart from specific conditions to maintain the Brigade of Gurkhas.</p><p> </p><p>Since 2007, Gurkhas have also received the same pension under the Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS) as the rest of the UK Armed Forces. Gurkhas who had served beyond 1997 were given the option to transfer to the Armed Forces Pension Scheme. For those who served prior to 2007, the 1948 Gurkha Pension Scheme (GPS) provides a pension over their lifetime at least as good, and in many cases better, than that given to their British counterparts with identical periods of service. Whilst GPS pensions are smaller, most are paid for longer; from as early as age 33, whereas the AFPS pays a pension only from age 60/65.</p><p> </p><p>The Defence Secretary has not had discussions with Cabinet colleagues regarding uprating legacy Gurkha pensions as retrospective changes or improvements generally are not made to public service pension schemes. This policy applies across the whole of the public sector.</p><p> </p><p>The GPS remains linked to the Indian Army pension scheme. Changes are introduced every 10 years when the Indian Central Pay Commission (CPC) adjusts the levels of pay and pensions for personnel in the Indian Army. A public consultation in 2020/2021 sought views on how the 7th CPC should be implemented in relation to the GPS.</p><p> </p><p>Following the consultation, Ministers decided that 140% of the Indian rates, with a minimum of 10% for those already above 140%, was the most appropriate level to implement the 7th CPC for the GPS.</p><p> </p><p>When the 7th CPC changes were implemented, the government also implemented new groupings and structures for disability pensions. Full information on legacy GPS Disability Pensions is available in the Gurkha Pension Scheme Manual, Chapter Three, available on gov.uk.</p><p> </p><p>The government has also chosen to work with a charity, the Gurkha Welfare Trust (GWT), to provide healthcare for its veterans and their families in Nepal. The GWT is part-funded by a grant-in-aid from MOD, and in 2018, the Army made a grant of £25 million over ten years to the GWT, specifically to improve the provision of healthcare, including secondary care, for our veterans in Nepal.</p> answering member constituency South West Wiltshire answering member printed Dr Andrew Murrison grouped question UIN 90780 90782 question first answered 23/11/2022 17:17:50 answering member 1466 label Biography information for Dr Andrew Murrison
tabling member	1604 label Biography information for Mr Virendra Sharma

1543556

registered interest
date	18/11/2022
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Gurkhas: Pensions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on uprating Gurkha pensions.
tabling member constituency	Ealing, Southall
tabling member printed	Mr Virendra Sharma
uin	90782
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/11/2022 answer text <p>The Government greatly values the unique contribution that the Gurkhas have made and continue to make to the UK, and remains committed to providing Gurkhas a fair pension, including uplifts determined by formal review processes.</p><p> </p><p>Gurkha terms and conditions of service were initially set by the 1947 Tripartite Agreement and were altered as the Brigade’s circumstance changed over the years. Since 2007 Gurkhas have served on the same basis as the remainder of the British Army apart from specific conditions to maintain the Brigade of Gurkhas.</p><p> </p><p>Since 2007, Gurkhas have also received the same pension under the Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS) as the rest of the UK Armed Forces. Gurkhas who had served beyond 1997 were given the option to transfer to the Armed Forces Pension Scheme. For those who served prior to 2007, the 1948 Gurkha Pension Scheme (GPS) provides a pension over their lifetime at least as good, and in many cases better, than that given to their British counterparts with identical periods of service. Whilst GPS pensions are smaller, most are paid for longer; from as early as age 33, whereas the AFPS pays a pension only from age 60/65.</p><p> </p><p>The Defence Secretary has not had discussions with Cabinet colleagues regarding uprating legacy Gurkha pensions as retrospective changes or improvements generally are not made to public service pension schemes. This policy applies across the whole of the public sector.</p><p> </p><p>The GPS remains linked to the Indian Army pension scheme. Changes are introduced every 10 years when the Indian Central Pay Commission (CPC) adjusts the levels of pay and pensions for personnel in the Indian Army. A public consultation in 2020/2021 sought views on how the 7th CPC should be implemented in relation to the GPS.</p><p> </p><p>Following the consultation, Ministers decided that 140% of the Indian rates, with a minimum of 10% for those already above 140%, was the most appropriate level to implement the 7th CPC for the GPS.</p><p> </p><p>When the 7th CPC changes were implemented, the government also implemented new groupings and structures for disability pensions. Full information on legacy GPS Disability Pensions is available in the Gurkha Pension Scheme Manual, Chapter Three, available on gov.uk.</p><p> </p><p>The government has also chosen to work with a charity, the Gurkha Welfare Trust (GWT), to provide healthcare for its veterans and their families in Nepal. The GWT is part-funded by a grant-in-aid from MOD, and in 2018, the Army made a grant of £25 million over ten years to the GWT, specifically to improve the provision of healthcare, including secondary care, for our veterans in Nepal.</p> answering member constituency South West Wiltshire answering member printed Dr Andrew Murrison grouped question UIN 90780 90781 question first answered 23/11/2022 17:17:50 answering member 1466 label Biography information for Dr Andrew Murrison
tabling member	1604 label Biography information for Mr Virendra Sharma

1383515

registered interest
date	30/11/2021
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Gurkhas: Pensions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of the disparity in funding between the Gurkha Pension Scheme and pensions for UK members of the armed forces on the widows of Gurkhas.
tabling member constituency	Portsmouth South
tabling member printed	Stephen Morgan
uin	84457
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/12/2021 answer text <p>It is not possible to directly compare the two pension schemes as they are designed for different purposes, but both are fair. Legacy Gurkha pensions are different but are objectively and reasonably justified and suited the circumstances of the time. Gurkhas who left after 15 years' service will have received pension payments for over 25 years before most British soldiers of the same rank and length of service would receive a pension under the AFPS. In most cases the lifetime value of a pension provided under the legacy GPS is of a similar or higher value than a pension provided under the AFPS. Provision for widows is set at 60% of pension for the GPS and 50% under AFPS.</p> answering member constituency Aldershot answering member printed Leo Docherty question first answered 06/12/2021 12:56:09 answering member 4600 label Biography information for Leo Docherty
tabling member	4653 label Biography information for Stephen Morgan

1383516

registered interest
date	30/11/2021
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Gurkhas: Pensions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate he has made of the cost of providing Gurkhas on the Gurkha Pension Scheme a retrospective pension equivalent to their UK counterparts.
tabling member constituency	Portsmouth South
tabling member printed	Stephen Morgan
uin	84458
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/12/2021 answer text <p>We do not make retrospective changes to public pensions. For most Gurkha veterans the 1948 legacy Gurkha Pension Scheme (GPS) provides a pension at least as good, and in many cases better, than that given to their British counterparts with identical periods of service. Our view is that the 1948 legacy GPS is a very fair scheme.</p> answering member constituency Aldershot answering member printed Leo Docherty question first answered 06/12/2021 12:54:10 answering member 4600 label Biography information for Leo Docherty
tabling member	4653 label Biography information for Stephen Morgan

1381724

registered interest
date	24/11/2021
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Gurkhas: Pensions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking in response to concerns raised by Gurkha pension campaigners.
tabling member constituency	Ealing, Southall
tabling member printed	Mr Virendra Sharma
uin	80933
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/11/2021 answer text <p>I can confirm that the Secretary of State, and I, met with a wide range of Gurkha representative groups and representatives from the Nepali Embassy, including the Nepali Ambassador, on 8th September. We agreed to start a Bilateral Committee to discuss all Gurkha Veteran Welfare issues.The Committee will be an opportunity to discuss Gurkha concerns across the board.</p><p>The government agreed to hold a consultation on the implementation of the Indian 7th Central Pay Commission and we will publish our response to this consultation in due course.</p><p>It remains this government's view that the pension schemes offered to Gurkha veterans in the past were very fair schemes.</p> answering member constituency Aldershot answering member printed Leo Docherty question first answered 29/11/2021 14:48:52 answering member 4600 label Biography information for Leo Docherty
tabling member	1604 label Biography information for Mr Virendra Sharma

1357838

registered interest
date	23/09/2021
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Gurkhas: Pensions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will ensure that all Gurkhas who retired from the Army before 1997 are given a full army pension.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	53897
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/10/2021 answer text <p>All Gurkhas who retired from the Army before 1 July 1997 qualified for an immediate pension under the 1948 Gurkha Pension Scheme (GPS) after only 15 years' service. In contrast, before 1975, British soldiers who served less than 22 years received no pension. This means Gurkhas were receiving pension payments for over 25 years before most British soldiers of the same rank and length of service qualified for any payments.</p><p>For most Gurkha veterans the 1948 GPS provides a pension at least as good, and in many cases better, than that given to their British counterparts with identical periods of service. Our view is that the 1948 GPS is a very fair scheme.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Aldershot answering member printed Leo Docherty question first answered 18/10/2021 11:48:19 answering member 4600 label Biography information for Leo Docherty
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1353349

registered interest
date	07/09/2021
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Gurkhas: Pensions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to meet Gurkha veterans' representative groups to discuss the effects of historical pension inequality; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Portsmouth South
tabling member printed	Stephen Morgan
uin	44432
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/09/2021 answer text <p>I can confirm that the Secretary of State, and I, met with a wide range of Gurkha representative groups and representatives from the Nepali Embassy, including the Nepali Ambassador, on 8 September 2021 We agreed to start the Bilateral Committee to discuss all Gurkha Veteran Welfare issues in December. The Committee will be an opportunity to discuss Gurkha welfare concerns across the board.</p><p>It remains this Government's view that the pension schemes offered to Gurkha veterans in the past were very fair schemes.</p> answering member constituency Aldershot answering member printed Leo Docherty question first answered 14/09/2021 10:08:09 answering member 4600 label Biography information for Leo Docherty
tabling member	4653 label Biography information for Stephen Morgan

1344313

registered interest
date	06/07/2021
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Gurkhas: Pensions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many claimants to the Gurkha Pension Scheme (a) reside in the UK and (b) did not transfer to the Armed Forces Pension Scheme through the Gurkha Offer to Transfer.
tabling member constituency	Wentworth and Dearne
tabling member printed	John Healey
uin	28063
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/07/2021 answer text <p>The information is not held in the format requested.</p><p>This is because an individual claimant may be resident in the UK, but elected to be paid through one of the pay offices, Dharan, Pokhara, Kathmandu, to a Nepalese bank account for tax purposes, and therefore have a non-UK address recorded on the Far East &amp; Nepal Administration Scheme (FENAS).</p><p>In addition, FENAS would also include individuals who have voted to transfer to the Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS) but have not yet reached their 60th birthday and therefore continue to be paid their immediate Gurkha Pension until they move to AFPS75 at age 60.</p> answering member constituency Aldershot answering member printed Leo Docherty question first answered 12/07/2021 14:24:23 answering member 4600 label Biography information for Leo Docherty
tabling member	400 label Biography information for John Healey