The legislative framework governing pension rights for spouses and civil partners applies to legacy State Pensions and members of contracted out occupational schemes. The New State Pension is fundamentally based on an individual\u2019s own National Insurance contributions, subject to certain arrangements.<\/p>
<\/p>
Most occupational pension inheritance rights are either determined by the members when they choose how to draw down their pension pot, or are set out in scheme rules, and are therefore a matter for the sponsoring employer to determine as part of their reward and retention strategy.<\/p>
The Government has no plans for legislative change.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4142", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Guy Opperman"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Hexham"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Guy Opperman"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2022-04-28", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2022-04-28T10:52:11.237Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "29"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2022-04-21", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Pension Rights: Cohabitation"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending spousal pension rights to long term cohabitees.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4856", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Stephen Farry"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "North Down"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Stephen Farry"} ], "uin" : "157527"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1180492", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Work and Pensions"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1180492/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Members of defined contribution schemes are normally able to nominate a beneficiary through an expression of wish form who may be a spouse, an unmarried partner or any other person. Trustees have discretion, but will generally give very significant weight to the member\u2019s expressed wish. Where a member purchases an annuity, they nominate a beneficiary at the point of purchase for any survivor\u2019s pension to which the contract entitles them.<\/p>
<\/strong><\/p> Spouses of defined benefit occupational pension scheme members do not automatically receive benefits when the member dies. There are no statutory requirements for these schemes to provide a survivor or a nominated beneficiary benefits unless the scheme was contracted out of the additional State Pension, where the scheme provided a pension in place of the additional State Pension.<\/p> <\/p> Contracted out schemes must provide a survivor\u2019s Guaranteed Minimum Pension for certain widows, widowers and surviving civil partners, reflecting the provisions in the additional State Pension. Any survivor benefits beyond this are a matter for the scheme rules and the sponsoring employer subject to HMRC tax restrictions. Some schemes may choose to provide survivor benefits for those who are not in a legal partnership, but they are not required to.<\/p> <\/p> There are no plans to extend these requirements beyond the surviving partner of a legal relationship.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4142", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Guy Opperman"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Hexham"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Guy Opperman"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2020-03-02", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2020-03-02T14:22:32.637Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "29"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2020-02-25", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Pension Rights: Cohabitation"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to bring forward legislative proposals to grant unmarried couples the same automatic right to benefit from their partner\u2019s pension in the event of the death of their partner as exists for married couples.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/491", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dame Angela Eagle"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Wallasey"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Ms Angela Eagle"}
], "uin" : "20391"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/765185", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "HM Treasury"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/765185/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " HM Treasury officials wrote out to public sector pension schemes in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland on 6 April 2017. The letter made clear that cases like that of Ms Brewster should be dealt with in line with the UK Supreme Court\u2019s decision. Cases previously refused solely because of a lack of nomination form should be reconsidered and schemes should pay survivor benefits from the date of the member\u2019s death in eligible cases, regardless of when a claim is made.<\/p> <\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4097", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Elizabeth Truss"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "South West Norfolk"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Elizabeth Truss"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2017-10-16", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2017-10-16T14:09:36.97Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "14"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Treasury"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "CaTreasury"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2017-10-06", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Pension Rights: Cohabitation"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
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], "questionText" : "To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2017 to Question 652450, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the judgment of the Supreme Court of 8 February 2017 in the matter of an application by Denise Brewster for Judicial Review (Northern Ireland) [2017] UKSC8; and whether schemes will be required to revisit past cases where a survivor's pension was refused because no nomination had been made.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4040", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Chris Evans"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Islwyn"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Chris Evans"}
], "uin" : "105675"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/693864", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "HM Treasury"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/693864/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The government is considering the Brewster judgment and the impact it has on public service pension schemes. The government will work with these pension schemes to understand what changes, if any, will need to be made.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1529", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr David Gauke"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "South West Hertfordshire"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mr David Gauke"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2017-03-03", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2017-03-03T10:09:08.28Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "14"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Treasury"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "CaTreasury"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2017-02-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Pension Rights: Cohabitation"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the judgment of the Supreme Court of 8 February 2017, in the matter of an application by Denise Brewster for Judicial Review (Northern Ireland) [2017] UKSC8.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4122", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Alex Cunningham"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Stockton North"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Alex Cunningham"}
], "uin" : "65240"}
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