Jamie Potter
Solicitor
Bindmans LLP
236 Grays Inn Road
London
WC1X 8HB
May 9th 2015
Dear Jamie Potter
Armed Forces Pensions
Thank you for your letter dated 16th April 2015. We will be lifting it onto our Web-site for the benefit of
our Members. It will not be possible, without some difficulty, to inform all our Members regarding its
contents but we will endeavour to contact the majority who are on the internet.
Please find enclosed the copy of the letter referred to under sub-para (b) of your letter which I have now
managed to find, you have referred to.
I have noticed that to date you have placed much emphasis on the limits of the moral value of our claims
and none, to date, in relation to the immoral claims of the MOD ? I refer in particular to the obfuscation
and false pretences of the MOD. I will refer to it in more detail when I provide you with my final review
of our comments. I’m sure I have pointed out before that Ken Dodd claimed he was not an Accountant.
Similarly the Armed Forces, at least 99% of us, can claim we are not Pension Scheme Managers or
Pension Fund Managers either ! Not only that, unlike the Civil Service, there has never been a
Representative Body, until our Federation was created, to present the case for the ‘Other Ranks’ of the
Armed Forces. The Armed Forces Pay and Pensions Review Body is primarily a representative
organisation for the benefit of the Governments and the MOD.
With reference to the MOD letter dated 21st April 1976 as enclosed. May I point out first of all, this was
not information automatically passed on to us as it should have been. As you will note, it was only after
2
an enquiry, made by myself I became aware of its contents ! Additionally it is not necessary for our
Members to purchase added years as applicable to Civil Servants because our claim is in relation to years
already served in the Armed Forces ! In any case this information should have been made known to
employees individually, both Civil Servants and members of the Armed Forces !
I appreciate that significant time has now passed. Also your offer to discuss matters further once I have
completed my review.
I shall look forward to doing so as soon as possible but I may be due for a heart by-pass operation in the
meantime.
I trust this letter from the MOD will be of interest to you. Regarding the legislation giving Members of
the Armed Forces the right to include their service years within the Civil Service Superannuation Pension
Scheme on leaving the Armed Forces. I am pursuing this matter, without much success so far with the
National Archives. It may be the enclosed letter is the information I am seeking from them ? It looks as
though the National Archives are unable to provide an answer ?
Yours sincerely
David Robson
Secretary General
Combined Armed Forces Federation UK