MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
News Release (043/2007) issued by The Government News Network on 8
March 2007
Gurkha soldiers
are to have access to the same generous pensions as the rest of
the British Army, Defence Minister Derek Twigg announced today.
Gurkhas already enjoy the same pay and tax benefits as the wider
Army, but today's move will mean serving Gurkhas and those
who retired on or after 1 July 1997 will have the opportunity to
transfer from their Gurkha Pension Scheme to the main Armed Forces
Pension Scheme.
Mr Twigg, Under Secretary of State for Defence and Veterans
Minister, announced that the significant improvements to the terms
and conditions of service for Gurkhas will bring them in line with
the rest of the British Army.
Gurkhas who have served for at least 5 years will have the
opportunity to transfer to other units within the wider Army to
pursue their chosen career path.
They will also have the same leave entitlements as the rest of
the Army.
Work is underway to see how woman can be recruited into the
Brigade of Gurkhas for the first time.
This announcement follows a far-reaching review of Gurkha terms
and conditions of service. All ranks in the Brigade of Gurkhas
will benefit from the new measures.
Derek Twigg said:
"This is the right thing to do. As a Government, we have
continually sought to ensure equality amongst our workforce here
in the UK and I'm delighted to announce it today.
"The improved terms and conditions of service will form the
basis for continued Gurkha service in the British Army, which is
made possible by the long-standing and friendly relations between
the Governments and peoples of the United Kingdom and Nepal."
The Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Richard Dannatt, said:
"This is a historic day for the Brigade of Gurkhas. I am
delighted that serving Gurkhas will have the same terms and
conditions of service as their counterparts in the wider Army.
Their contribution to operations around the world has been and
will continue to be a major contribution to Britain's Defence commitments."
The Colonel Commandment of the Brigade of Gurkhas, Lieutenant
General Sir Philip Trousdell, said:
"I welcome the results of the review and the positive
outcome that it delivers for the Brigade of Gurkhas. It meets the
needs and aspirations of the modern Gurkha soldier based n the UK,
Brunei and Nepal, and those currently deployed on operations. The
review will ensure that the Brigade continues to contribute
effectively to current and future operations whilst maintaining
its unique characteristics."
Gurkhas will still be recruited in Nepal and serve as Nepalese
citizens within the British Army.
We have worked closely with the Government of Nepal to ensure
that they were content with these changes to the terms and
conditions of service. They have welcomed these changes.
Note to Editors
1. A detailed breakdown of changes to Gurkha terms and conditions
of service is included below.
2. The unique identity of the Brigade of Gurkhas will be
maintained through five core principles: Only Nepalese citizens
should be recruited into the Brigade, with the exception of
British Direct Entry (DE) Officers required as part of the officer
structure; The recruiting and selection of new Gurkha recruits
should take place in Nepal; Gurkhas should serve only in formed
Gurkha units, at least for a minimum mandatory period; The command
structure in formed Gurkha units should continue to include Gurkha
(Nepalese) officers; Current arrangements for separate,
appropriate initial training for Gurkhas should continue for the
time being.
3. Gurkhas will be entitled to 30 days leave in line with the
rest of the Army. This will replace the unpaid Nepal Longer Leave
of 5 months every 3 years. They will still be able to return to
Nepal to see their families for extended periods of time by the
appropriate use of their annual leave.
4. Serving and recently retired Gurkhas will be offered access to
Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS) benefits. The Gurkha Offer to
Transfer (GOTT) exercise will give serving Gurkhas a one-off
opportunity to transfer their pension benefits. The Gurkha Pension
Scheme (GPS) is a good scheme, but is mainly designed for
retirement in Nepal. The two AFPS schemes - AFPS 75 and AFPS 05 -
are designed for retirement in the UK, which is where,
increasingly, Gurkhas are choosing to settle.
MAJOR CHANGES
1. Nationality and Status
* Gurkhas will continue to be selected and recruited in Nepal,
and remain as Nepalese citizens throughout their service. Service
will be in formed units consisting entirely of Gurkhas, except for
British officers and a few specialists, and units will be part of
the Brigade of Gurkhas (BG). Only Gurkhas will be recruited to
these units. At the end of their service, Gurkhas will be offered
the choice of discharge in Nepal of in UK.
2. Wider Employment & Transfer
* Gurkha soldiers will be eligible to apply for transfer to
Regiments and Corps outside the BG, on the same terms as the rest
of the Army, having served a minimum period of 5 years service in BG.
3. Recruitment and Selection
* Recruiting and selection of Gurkhas will remain in Nepal and
will be owned and managed by the Army Recruitment and Training
Division (ARTD). Recruiting and selection standards for Gurkhas
will be aligned with British selection arrangements, in due
course, following further study. Part of that study will examine
the feasibility of Nepalese women being recruited into the Brigade
of Gurkhas non-infantry units.
4. Training
* The current Gurkha training regime will be retained for the
time being while ARTD lead a programme aimed at alignment with the
UK training regime. ARTD will also commence a programme to develop
an acceptable training regime for Gurkha women within the current
British training structure for women.
5. Pay & Allowances
* Gurkha pay will adopt full UK
rates. The same applies to commissioned Gurkhas who will be
assimilated on to the normal Army officer pay scales. Re-employed
Retired Gurkha Officers are to be assimilated on to FTRS Home
Commitment pay scales.
6. Leave of Absence
* Gurkhas are to be provided with the same leave arrangements as
for British soldiers. Similar alignment will include all types of
special leave such as parental leave, career breaks, and
carers' leave. Consequentially, the practice of Nepal Long
Leave (NLL) will cease.
* Gurkhas with less than 3 years service will have the option of
having the "Get You Home (Early Years)(Overseas Allowance) -
GYH(EY)(OA)" package, which assists young soldiers from
overseas to maintain contact with their overseas families.
7. Pensions
* Gurkhas recruited after 1 December 2006 will join the Armed
Forces Pension Scheme 2005 (AFPS 05).
* Gurkhas serving on 1 October 2007 who joined on or after 6
April 2005 but before 6 April 2006 (i.e. the 2006 intake) will be
offered the option to transfer from the Gurkha Pension Scheme
(GPS) to AFPS 05.
* Gurkhas serving on 1 October 2007 who were serving before 6
April 2005 will be offered the option to transfer from GPS to
either AFPS 75 or AFPS 05.
* Gurkhas who retired between 1 July 1997 and 5 April 2006 will
be offered the option to transfer to AFPS 75 or remain in the GPS.
Those who retired after 6 April 2006, but before 1 October 2007,
will be offered the options to transfer to AFPS 75 or AFPS 05 or
remain in the GPS.
* Gurkhas transferring from GPS to AFPS are to be given actuarial
value for any service before 1 July 1997, but service given on or
after 1 July 1997 will be transferred on a year-for-year basis.
10. Welfare and Education
* Gurkha children will have the same educational opportunities as
their British counterparts.
* Additional welfare support staff will be available to the Army
Welfare Service to cope with the additional family welfare issues
relating to the introduction of Gurkha MAS.
* Aftercare provision for Gurkhas and their dependants will be
the same as that available for British personnel.
* Present establishment of Religious teachers (RTs) - often
referred to as Pandits - will be increased from 3 to 9.
* The present special cultural support provided within Gurkha
units will continue.
* Headquarters Brigade of Gurkhas secretariat support will be
reinforced to become the focus for the provision of Benevolence
and Welfare Support to Gurkha ex-servicemen in UK.