Letter sent to Coalition MPs in England from: Penny Mordaunt MP and Rt Hon Mike Penning MP 24th March 2015 ‘Dear Colleague, Widows’ Pensions In the Budget, the Chancellor announced that widows, widowers and surviving civil partners of police officers and firefighters killed on duty will no longer lose their survivors’ benefits if they remarry, form a civil partnership or cohabit. Currently, some surviving spouses and civil partners of police officers and firefighters lose their survivors’ benefits if they remarry, in the case of firefighters, or, for the police, even if they cohabit or form a new civil partnership. The government will now change this for the survivors of police officers and firefighters who are killed on duty. The 2006 and 2015 police and firefighters’ pension schemes already allow spouses and partners to form new relationships without putting their pensions at risk. Thankfully deaths on duty are rare, so we would expect costs to be low for employers and taxpayers, but this policy demonstrates an appreciation of the sacrifice that surviving spouses and civil partners have made. Pensions will not be re-instated for those who have already lost them through remarriage, though current rules already allow re-instatement if the ‘new’ relationship ends. Our departments will set out further details in due course. The Government is also looking at applying a similar policy to those killed on duty in the security services and will work with the security agencies to examine this.’ Writing to Parliamentary Candidates: I have put together a ‘cheat sheet’ as a helpful framework for those writing to parliamentary candidates and wondering where to start. Email me at the usual address if you would like one: CathrynHall@outlook.com Please remember that until a change of legislation has been laid by the new administration - the changes in the above letter are not a ‘done deal’. There is a long way to go before we achieve parity with Northern Ireland; when you are writing your letters please remember that Mr Cameron told our representative that he wanted the changes to be, 'as far reaching as possible’ and that, ‘they had to start somewhere’. That start has been made and irrespective of who wins the general election, we would like the government post-election to build upon that start.