FOI 1037-2024/25 Pension Entitlement

Request
Q1. How many adult survivors have lost their entitlement to receive a “widow’s pension” because they have either remarried or started to cohabit? Please provide the relevant data for each Police Force over the last ten years on a year-by-year basis.

Q2. How many adult survivors have had their pension reinstated in circumstances where they have divorced their new spouse or ceased cohabitation with their new partner? Again please provide the relevant data for each Police Force over the last 10 years.

Q3. What information is given to a widow when a widows pension first comes into payment? Please provide copies of the information provided.

Q4. What further information is sent to a widow once the pension is in payment? Please provide copies.

Q5. Do you send letters to widows periodically to verify they are still living alone and not remarried or cohabiting? If so please provide copies

Q6. Do you require a countersigned certificate to verify a widow has not remarried or cohabited? If so please provide copies.

Q7. If a widow remarries or cohabits, what information do you send to the widow? Please provide copies.

Q8. Do you send further letters to those whose pension has been withdrawn as a result of remarriage or cohabitation to verify their circumstances are still the same [i.e. they are still remarried or cohabiting]? If so please provide copies.

Q9. What information do you send a widow if a pension is reinstated? Please provide copies.

Extent and Result of Searches to Locate Information
To locate the information relevant to your request searches were conducted within North Yorkshire Police.

I can confirm that some of the information you have requested is held by North Yorkshire Police.  

Decision
I have today decided to disclose the following information to you.

Q1. No information held.

Q2. No information held.

Q3 & 4. Please see attached example letter (page 1-2). This letter outlines the widow’s entitlement and pay periods as well as an additional page of information.

Q5. Periodic letters to check the status of the widow are not issued.

Q6. A countersigned certificate to verify a widow has not remarried or cohabited is not required.

Q7. If a widow advises that they have remarried or cohabiting, a letter will be issued to confirm the dependant pension has ceased - please see attached example letter (page 3).

Q8. No further letters are issued once we have confirmed the pension has ceased.

Q9. Before making any payment, if it has been some time since a payment has been made to the widow, ID and bank details would need to be confirmed before reinstating - please see attached example letter (page 4-6).

A letter would then be sent confirming reinstatement and advising of the annual rate and date of reinstatement - please see attached example letter (page 7).

Please note that systems used for recording information are not generic, nor are the procedures used locally in capturing the data.  It should be noted therefore that this force’s response to your questions should not be used for comparison purposes with any other responses you may receive.