§ 52. Sir W. de FRECEasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the cost to the State of extending, either under the insurance scheme or under the existing Old Age Pensions Acts, old age pensions to elderly women between 65 and 70 266 who will not, for whatever reason, come under the Widows', Orphans', and Old Age Contributory Pensions Act?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLSubject to the maintenance of the means test under the Old Age Pensions Acts, 1908–1924, in cases other than those in which a right to pension would be conferred by the insurance qualification, the extra cost may be estimated at the present time at between nine and ten million pounds a year.
§ 73. Mr. SHEPHERDasked the Minister of Health whether arrangements could be made whereby on bank holidays widows could be paid their pensions in advance rather than two or three days after the normal date of payment?
§ Sir K. WOODI would remind the hon. Member that, in compliance with Subsection (2) of Section 28 of the Contributory Pensions Act, every pension is normally paid weekly in advance. It has been arranged, with the consent of the Treasury that when the prescribed day for payment is a bank holiday, payment may be made on the last weekday before. My right hon. Friend regrets, however, that it will not be possible to give effect to this arrangement as regards pensions payable on Tuesday the 27th December next, Monday, the 26th December, being also a bank holiday. Pensions in respect of the week ending 3rd January, 1928, will, therefore, be paid on the 28th December, 1927, that is one day after the normal date of payment.