1. Mr. ROBINSONasked the Minister of Pensions why the claim of a widow for pension on the death of her husband, who was a pensioner, was presumed to be barred under the seven years' limit in respect of claims for War disabilities, as set up under the War Pensions Act of 1921, seeing that the claim in respect of the disability had already been accepted; and if he will restore to widows, whose husbands die more than seven years after discharge, their rights under Articles 11 and 12 of the Royal Warrant of 1919?
§ The MINISTER of PENSIONS (Major Tryon)The hon. Member is under a misapprehension. No seven years' limit for widows' claims was set up by the War 542 Pensions Act, 1921, but was contained in the Royal Warrants of 1917 and 1919. I am not prepared to adopt the suggestion in the second part of the question that War widows should be reverted to the conditions of the Warrant of 1919 as this would deprive them of the advantages conferred on them by the Royal Warrant of 14th January, 1924, for which I was responsible and which gave extended benefits to widows of this class over the seven years' limit, going far beyond any rights previously enjoyed by them.