§ 2. Mr. E. Johnsonasked the Minister of Defence how much is the pension for a widow of a colonel who retired with maximum service in March of this year and died after 1st April; and how much she would have received if her husband had retired and died eighteen months ago.
§ Mr. WatkinsonThe widow of a colonel who retired in March of this year and subsequently dies will, if he had completed thirty-four years' service since the age of 21, receive a pension of £450 a year. If her husband had retired and died before 4th November, 1958, after the standard period of twenty-six years' service, the widow would receive £254 a year, including pensions increases.
§ Mr. JohnsonMay I ask my right hon. Friend whether he thinks it right that the widow of an officer who died eighteen months ago should receive approximately only half as much for the rest of her life as the widow of an officer who died much more recently? Is not this difference between the two a new and most undesirable precedent in the treatment of the widows of officers?
§ Mr. WatkinsonAs I think my hon. Friend will recognise, the two cases are not exactly comparable. As he will see if he studies my Answer, one represents the maximum possible under the new terms and the other represents a minimum under the old ones. But I do not disagree with the general point that pensions for the widows of Service men have been increased. That was the intention of the recent Measure.