MPs to debate Gurkha pensions petition

On Monday 22 November, MPs will debate e-petition 594155, relating to Gurkha pensions. Jonathan Gullis, a member of the Petitions Committee, has been asked by the Committee to open the debate. The Government will send a Minister to respond.

The petition, which has more than 106,000 signatures, states: “We are demanding that the government treats Gurkhas fairly and pays them the same pension as other British veterans of the same rank and service. Many Gurkhas joined the Queen’s Gurkha Army believing their pension would sustain them and their families but sadly this has not been the case.”

In its response to the petition, provided on 19th August 2021, the Government said: “For most Gurkha veterans the Gurkha Pension Scheme provides a pension at least as good as, and in many cases better than, that given to their British counterparts with identical periods of service.”