Gurkhas: Pensions

The Government remains committed to supporting Gurkhas and their families during and after their service with the British Army, as demonstrated by the increase in funding via the Gurkha Welfare Trust, including a £24 million uplift to the medical and healthcare Grant-in-Aid already in place and an extension in principle to that Grant in Aid beyond 2029. We continue to hold discussions with the Government of Nepal and Gurkha Veteran representatives about what more could be done to meet the welfare needs of Gurkhas Veterans and their families, in both the UK and in Nepal. I have met with the Nepali Ambassador H.E. Chandra Ghimire for a productive discussion, reflecting a shared commitment to strengthening cooperation and addressing key concerns between Nepal and the UK.

The Government view is that the Gurkha Pension Scheme is a fair scheme, and we are committed to providing Gurkha Veterans with a fair pension. The Gurkha Pension Scheme is different, but these differences are objectively and reasonably justified and reflect the circumstances of their service. One of the key differences is that those on the 1948 Gurkha Pension Scheme were paid an immediate pension after 15 years’ service, compared to after 22 years from the Armed Forces Pension.

The lawfulness of the Gurkha Pension Scheme has been challenged in a number of judicial reviews since 2003, and the arrangements have been upheld as lawful by the Court of Appeal twice, and by the European Court of Human Rights.

An estimate of the kind described has not been undertaken. However, it is the policy of His Majesty’s Government that improvements to public sector pensions in payment cannot be retrospectively applied. In this context, given that the Gurkha Pension Scheme is a closed scheme, this means that improvements to the pension terms cannot be made, because there are no active members to whom they could apply prospectively.