Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what pension arrangements are in place for the widow of the late Sergeant Matthew Telford of the Grenadier Guards. [34264]

The Rt Hon Andrew Robathan MP; Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence: Sergeant Telford died tragically in Afghanistan in 2009, whilst holding acting rank. His widow is in receipt of a pension that reflects his substantive rank.

I announced on 16 December 2010, Official Report, columns 116-17WS, that I would amend future pensions payments to recognise acting rank. This change came into effect on 3 January 2011. For those who died prior to this date (but after 6 April 2005) a lump sum payment will be made to dependants through the Armed Forces Compensation scheme, which will bring their total settlement into line with the changes to the pension scheme.

The amounts awarded are considered personal data and are therefore protected from disclosure under the Data Protection Act 1998.

Written Ministerial Statement

Armed Forces Pensions

16th December 2010

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Andrew Robathan): I am pleased to announce that I will be amending the compensation and pension payments for individuals who die as a result of service while holding acting rank. Pension arrangements under armed forces pension scheme 05 already ensure that any acting rank held at the time of death is taken into account in the pension received by surviving dependants. However, under the armed forces pension scheme 75, in most cases, the acting rank needs to be held for at least a year for it to be recognised in the pension received by surviving dependants. This rule will now be amended to ensure that, in future, those who die as a result of service while holding acting rank will have this higher rank recognised in the pension paid to their dependants, regardless of the length of time the acting rank has been held.

For previous such cases since April 2005, a lump sum payment of £20,000 will be made through the armed forces compensation scheme to ensure the acting rank is recognised in the payments dependants have received.