02/06/2002 "MPs' gay and unmarried partners 'to get pension rights' "

MPs' gay and unmarried partners 'to get pension rights'
- The Independant

Gay and unmarried partners of British MPs and civil servants are reportedly to get the same pension rights as married couples.

It is thought that a change in the law to be made by October means unmarried partners will be entitled to widow's or widower's pensions.

Teachers, soldiers and health service workers who have campaigned for years for the same rights have condemned the proposal.

A Cabinet Office spokesman said claimants would have to have a long-term, exclusive and financially inter-dependent relationship, reports The Independent.

MPs voted last year to instruct the trustees of the Parliamentary Pension Scheme to examine extending rights to unmarried couples. Trustees will consider a report next month.

The Treasury is reported to be unwilling to foot the bill so MPs will be asked to increase their contributions to meet the extra cost.

Tory MP John Butterfill, who chaired the report, said: "Marriage is a contractual commitment and we are saying we are going to recognise non-contractual commitments. It's a very complex area.

"If we have a very elderly member who suddenly has a very young partner, a 20-year-old partner; the cost to the scheme could be huge."

A spokeswoman from the National Union of Teachers said: "We have become used to one rule applying to MPs and an entirely different set of rules for the rest of us."

A Unison spokeswoman called on ministers to foot the estimated £80m annual bill for gay and unmarried NHS employees to have the same rights as their colleagues.