§ 43. Mr. PETHICK-LAWRENCEasked the Minister of Health whether he has had his attention drawn to cases of hardship arising under the Widows', Orphans' and Old Age Contributory Pensions Act to widows whose children, on reaching the age of 14, are incapacitated by illness from earning their living; and whether, when he is introducing amending legislation, he will consider the possibility of making provision for them?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINMy attention has been called to a certain number of cases of the kind mentioned, which, however, do not arise under the Act in question. As regards the second part, I would point out that an Amendment, to secure what is now proposed was 1101 negatived when the Bill was in Committee, and I remain of the opinion that it would not be appropriate to make specific provision for this exceptional class in the contributory pensions scheme