Kevan Jones – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2014-07-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average length of time taken to process settlements for the War Pensions Scheme has been in each year since 2010.

Anna Soubry

The average length of time taken to process claims under the War Pensions Scheme in each year since 2010 has been;

2010-11 – 39 working days
2011-12 – 51 working days
2012-13 – 82 working days
2013-14 – 110 working days
2014-15 year to 31 July – 102 working days

In the majority of cases deadlines for progressing cases are met. The War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Schemes are jointly resourced and administered. The impact of the implementation of the Boyce Review on the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (Cm 7798, published February 2010) and its subsequent publicity campaign, combined with an increase in the number of applications for War Disablement Pension (linked to more people with pre-April 2005 service reaching the end of their engagement), led to delays in processing prospective claims.