§ 62. Commander SOUTHBYasked the Minister of Pensions whether he will reconsider the case of Mrs. L. Wicks, of 17, Lincoln Road, Worcester Park, who was paid a need pension of 8s. per week in respect of her son killed in the War, which pension was reduced to 5s. a week from the 5th December, 1929, on the ground that Mrs. Wicks was in receipt of an old age pension of 10s. per week from that date and was also earning 10s. a week, observing, firstly, that the money earned is derived from precarious employment, secondly, the age of this widow, and thirdly, that she has already been penalised regarding her old age pension on technical grounds, since she was really entitled to it on the 5th December, 1928, but through ignorance omitted to make application for it within the statutory period and therefore did not begin to receive her pension until 5th December, 1929?
Mr. ROBERTSPensions based on need are required to be determined with 625 regard to the actual means of the pensioner, and I should have no authority to treat income derived from old age or other pensions differently from means derived from other sources. It is not, therefore, possible to increase the War pension now in payment to Mrs. Wicks, whose total income is, as the hon. and gallant. Member will be aware, in fact higher now than it was before.