To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will establish the number of spouses of armed forces personnel refused state benefits because of inadequate payment of national insurance contributions. (291510)

I have been asked to reply.

This information is not collected in the form requested and we have no plans to do so.

The Service Command Paper ‘The Nation's Commitment: Cross-Government Support to our Armed Forces, their Families and Veterans’ (Cm 7424), published in July 2008, contained the Department's commitment to award Class 1 national insurance credits to spouses and civil partners of service personnel posted overseas with effect from April 2010. This will enable more members of service personnel families to qualify for jobseeker's allowance and employment and support allowance.