HC Deb 30 June 1958 vol 590 cc854-5
5. Mr. Simmons

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many of the 9,574 wives of war pensioners, who were widowed during 1957, received from his Department information concerning their pension rights; and if he is satisfied that only 1,690 of these widows had any entitlement.

Mr. Boyd-Carpenter

There are longstanding arrangements for enabling widows of war pensioners to get not only information about their pension rights but help if needed in claiming them. I am satisfied that these arrangements are working efficiently, and have no reason to suppose that widows entitled to war widows pensions are being denied them.

Mr. Simmons

The Minister will notice that I refer to war pensioners, not just ex-soldiers. The fact that they were receiving pensions is prima facie evidence that their widows have some entitlement. Does not the Minister feel that this figure of 1,690 out of 9,574 is a very low figure of widows receiving such pensions?

Mr. Boyd-Carpenter

I really do not share the hon. Gentleman's view that receipt of a war pension necessarily raises a prima facie case that death is due to the pensioned disability. The hon. Gentleman will be aware of the fact that most of the men in this figure are First World War men, of some age, some of them with disabilities at the lower percentage ratings. Each case is gone into very sympathetically to see if there is a connection between the disability and the death; but in the absence of that connection, and in cases where death arises, as it must to so many people in the ordinary course of the normal accidents and incidents of life, it is really impossible to relate the war pension claim to the death which has taken place in the same way as that of many other members of the civilian population.

6. Mr. Simmons

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he will cause an inquiry to be made into the economic position of the 7,857 wives of war pensioners who were widowed during 1957 and are not receiving any pension from his Department.

Mr. Boyd-Carpenter

No, Sir. I do not think a special inquiry of this sort is necessary.

Mr. Simmons

The Minister must realise that the figures he gave a few weeks ago are very alarming. Only a very small proportion of these widows are receiving pensions, and yet as the widows of ex-Servicemen, they ought to receive very sympathetic consideration. What is the economic position of those widows? Surely the Ministry of Pensions, if it has no legal obligation, has a moral liability to see that they do not suffer in poverty?

Mr. Boyd-Carpenter

From the way the hon. Gentleman has put his Question I think he has somewhat misapprehended the position. The figures I gave him the other day related to widows of war pensioners not receiving a war widow's pension. He has framed his Question to speak of pension received from my Department. Many widows not eligible for war widow's pension are entitled to and receive National Insurance pension. My welfare officers get in touch with the widow of any war pensioner and I have no real reason to believe, in particular from the point of view which the hon. Gentleman has expressed, that there is any need for any special inquiry of this sort.

Mr. Marquand

Does the right hon. Gentleman recollect that about two years ago, when we were debating in Committee upstairs a Bill dealing with widows, I suggested that there might be a Government inquiry into widows generally, including war pensioners' widows, and that he said then that he would consider the suggestion? Has he done so?

Mr. Boyd-Carpenter

That is a very much wider question than the one on the Order Paper, and if the right hon. Gentleman wishes to have a considered reply, I think he might put it down.