§ 4. Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYasked the Minister of Pensions if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the pension payable to the widow of an ex-Service man, in receipt of a pension, who dies as a result of his war disability, is only payable from the date of her application; if he is aware that a great number of these widows are un aware of the Regulation and often are unable, through various circumstances, to apply until several weeks after the date of their husband's death; and whether, in view of the hardship caused, he will consider arranging for these pensions to become payable automatically from the date on which pension was last paid to the husband?
§ Major TRYONThe hon. and gallant Member has been misinformed. In the case of widows the Ministry have been enabled (by way of exception to the general rule) to make an award payable from the date of the husband's death, if application is made within two months of that date. The necessity for prompt application is pointed out in a note on the pensioner's identity certificate, and in the experience of my Department it is rare for an application to be delayed more than two months after the death of the pensioner. In these circumstances I should not be justified in adopting the hon. and gallant Member's suggestion.
§ Lieut. - Commander KENWORTHYDoes the right hon. Gentleman realise that very often it is the poorest, and perhaps the most ignorant women who suffer in this way, and that a woman who can employ a solicitor to help her gets a greater sum of money than her poorer sister?
§ Major TRYONThe suggestion that applications should be made at once is made quite clear by the Ministry, and if the hon. and gallant Gentleman has any case in mind I shall be very happy to go into it.