§ Mr. Bruce George (Walsall, South)With your permission, Mr. Speaker, and that of the House, I wish to present the humble petition of the National Association of Widows, Gingerbread, the Child Poverty Action Group and others.
§ The petition sheweth
§ That grave hardship and injustice is caused to widows and other unsupported mothers and their children by the wrongful application of the cohabitation rule.
§ Wherefore your petitioners pray that your honourable House amend the operation of the cohabitation rule to provide that
- 1. The social security legislation clearly define the term "cohabitation" and that this definition be clearly entered in all relevant pension and supplementary benefit order books.
- 2. No pension or supplementary allowance be withdrawn until such time as an independent tribunal has considered the case,
- 3. Legally aided representation be provided for all women alleged to be cohabiting who appear before such tribunals.
- 4. A second tier of appeal be introduced into the supplementary benefits appeal structure for consideration of such cases.
- 5. The chairmen of all supplementary benefits appeal tribunals hearing such cases be legally qualified.
§ The petition concludes in the customary way, with the words
§ And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray.
§ To lie upon the Table.