HC Deb 10 July 1962 vol 662 c1117
Mr. Brockway

Mr. Speaker, I beg to present a Petition to the honourable Commons from members of the Society known as "The Merrie Widows of Eton "and from widows in the neighbourhood of Eton. Perhaps I might say for the benefit of the Committee which considers Petitions that Eton, rather characteristically, has an expansionist idea of its environment and influence, as I gather from the signatures.

The Petition shows

that widows are suffering hardship and injustice in relation to their pensions and they therefore pray that

  1. (1) The pension of the widow who receives only 10s. weekly under the National Insurance Regulations, 1948, be increased to 20s. weekly at once and subsequently in proportion to any increase in the cost of living.
  2. (2) The pension of the widowed mother shall not be reduced on account of earnings.
  3. (3) The pension of widows shall not be subject to Income Tax.
  4. (4) Pensioned widows shall be exempted from all charges for prescriptions within the National Health Service.
  5. (5) A special allowance shall be given to a widow required to pay death duties on the value of her house on the decease of her husband.

The Petition is signed by 1,200 widows, and concludes: And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray, etc.

To lie upon the Table.

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