Ex-military talk pensions with MP

Sussex branch representatives of the Armed Forces Pension Group visited his constituency office in Hoe Lane, Flansham, to put their case.

They were accompanied by Richard Jeal, the group's south-east area co-ordinator.

The group is campaigning to correct what it sees as an injustice in the rules of entitlement to an armed forces pension.

Those leaving the forces before April 1975 had to serve 22 years, but since then the requirement has been just two years.

Mr Gibb said: "This does appear to be unjust, particularly as their employment was regarded as pensionable service.

"The Ministry of Defence, however, believes it would be prohibitively expensive to backdate the rule change that occurred in 1975 to those who had already left the services, as they were aware of the pension rules when they signed up."

But the campaigners pointed out they had they been advised to stay in the services until after April 1975 and this would have made a huge difference to their income in retirement. Some left just a few months before the rule change.

Mr Gibb promised to take up the matter with the Ministry of Defence.

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