§ 5. Mr. Simmonsasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance why the differential between the elderly childless war widow and the civilian widow has been wiped out; and if he will consider granting them a rent supplement to redress the balance.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterThe hon. Member is mistaken; the differential has not been wiped out. As regards rent allowance, I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer which I gave him on 3rd December.
§ Mr. SimmonsI am sorry if my Question is not quite clear. I am referring to the differentials between the widows who apply to the National Assistance Board for relief and the question of the rent allowance, and asking whether there could 3 not be a disregard of the first 10s. 6d. of pension or a rent allowance to bring up the difference which occurs as a result of the application for National Assistance?
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterI think I understand the hon. Gentleman's supplementary question. If one takes the average rent figure for a widow on top of the National Assistance scales for persons living alone, there is a comparatively small gap between the scale rate for assistance plus that and the war widow's pension. There is still a small lead, on average, for the war widow. Therefore, my original Answer, which relates to the three general rates for widows—National Insurance, industrial injuries and war pension—is still accurate, though, I agree, by a smaller margin.
§ Mr. SimmonsWould the Minister pursue the matter with S.S.A.F.A., which has already been in touch with his Department, and give sympathetic consideration to any representations that organisation may make?
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterThe hon. Member is quite right. S.S.A.F.A. has been in touch with me, and, although for the reasons I gave the hon Member, I doubt whether the remedy proposed here is the right one, I, like all hon. Members, pay a great deal of attention to what S.S.A.F.A. says.