Statement by TUV leader Jim Allister:
“I welcome the belated acknowledgement – after months of correspondence and questions to the Minister for Justice – that my amendment to the Public Service Pensions Bill applies to ALL police widows, including those who were widowed and remarried before 1st January 1989.
“This has been my contention from day one and I am disappointed with the way in which Minister Ford has attempted to muddy the waters on this issue.
“Shamefully many widows were left in unnecessary uncertainty about the future because the Minister claimed that the amendment did not cover those who remarried on before 1st January 1989.
“The Department has now acknowledged that the change in the law will indeed apply to all widows.
“This development will come as a welcome relief to remarried widows across Northern Ireland who can now know that their pensions will be reinstated “as soon as possible”.
“However, the issue and the way in which it was handled reflects very badly on both Minister Ford and his Department.
“Minister Ford owes all of these widows an apology.”