Same-sex couples will be required to register their union to qualify

Under the proposals, gay couples who are registered as "civil partners" will have the right to receive a survivor's pension.

Pension funds will be required to provide pensions, based on contributions made since 1988, to surviving partners.

Some pension schemes already offer survivor pensions to gay couples.

Victory for gay rights?

The Civil Partnership bill, which promises a range of legal rights to gay couples, will be amended to reflect the change, the government said.

Under the proposed legislation, couples who register their relationship in a civil partnership ceremony will gain a host of new legal rights.

Existing rules penalise gay couples who have saved thousands of pounds into company pension schemes.

Unlike married couples, same-sex partners have not had automatic legal rights to receive private pension benefits when they die - unless that scheme permits such an arrangement.

The amendment would mean that a gay person could insist their spouse received their pension rights when they died.

The new right applies to gay couples who have "contracted out" of the government's top-up additional pension scheme, known as the State Second Pension and, formerly, Serps, by joining an occupational pension scheme.

Same-sex couples will not qualify for enhanced basic state pension rights given to married couples, or to additional pension entitlements given to widows and widowers.

Work and Pensions Minister Alan Johnson, said: "Often a pension will be the most valuable asset an individual has, so their ability to pass it on is crucial."