War Widows: Pensions (Hansard, 23 May 1994)

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Social Security (Viscount Astor)
My Lords, the Government have always recognised the special sacrifices made by war widows. In April this year we fully increased war widows pensions. The majority of World War Two war widows now receive a total tax free pension of almost £140 a week.

§ Lord Mackie of Benshie
My Lords, I thank the Minister for that reply. There are about 47,000 war widows at present and they are decreasing in number. Does he not believe that those widows deserve a further increase to mark that occasion?

Viscount Astor
My Lords, war widows quite rightly receive a very generous pension. It is sometimes double that of other widows. It is important to remember also that many of our war widows have been widowed as a result of other conflicts. It is only 40 years since the end of the Korean War; 10 years since the Falklands War; and two years since the Gulf War. Our forces risk their lives today defending our interests in Ulster, Bosnia, Iraq and elsewhere. We must not forget that others are widows of men who have died as a result of disablement due to peacetime service; for example, those in training or in aircraft accidents.

§ Baroness Nicol
My Lords, as we remember D-Day, would it not be an appropriate time at which to broaden the scope of war widows' pensions to include those widows of ex-servicemen who were disabled and ill for a long time? Does not the Minister believe that that would be an appropriate way in which to record our appreciation of the work that those people have done over the years? I understand that many such widows are now in their 70s or 80s and are finding it very difficult to manage because under the present criteria they do not qualify for a war widow's pension.

Viscount Astor
My Lords, prolonged nursing care is recognised by the award of a temporary allowance for the first 26 weeks of widowhood where either a constant attendance allowance or an unemployability supplement was being paid to the late husband. The rate of temporary allowance payable for widows is approximately equal to the rate of war disablement pension plus 474 allowances paid to the late husband. That ensures that there is no immediate large drop in the family's income when the husband dies.
It is important to remember that a war widow's pension is awarded where death is due or hastened by service. The wife of a war pensioner does not automatically become a war widow on the death of her husband. There must be a causal connection between death and service to justify the very preferential rates at which war widows' pensions are paid.

§ Lord Hailsham of Saint Marylebone
My Lords, while I suppose that everyone in the House will sympathise with the position of war widows, does not my noble friend agree that either those increases referred to in the Question and the other supplementary questions are justified on their merits or they are not? If they are justified on their merits, they should take place now. If they are not, it does not help matters to introduce the purely irrelevant factor of the fact that it is 50 years since VE-Day.

Viscount Astor
My Lords, my noble and learned friend makes an important point. As I said, war widows' provision is very generous and it is quite right that it should be. For example, it was made tax free in 1979 where previously half was taxable. They receive extremely preferential treatment which we shall maintain. Last year, spending on war widows' pensions was £345 million.

§ Lord Ennals
My Lords, I declare an interest as 100 per cent, war disabled with a wife. I wish to support the proposal made by my noble friend Lady Nicol. Is the: Minister aware that I agree with everything that he said about those who now receive war widows' pensions? But there is something very special about the widows of war pensioners who die. Does the Minister agree that it is extremely difficult for many of those widows to maintain the standard of living that they have had? Will he look again at the proposal that there should be a pension for those widows of war pensioners who then die?

Viscount Astor
My Lords, it is fundamental to the war pension scheme that a war widow's pension can be awarded only where death is due to service. However, in recognition of the prolonged nursing care given by the widows, as I said earlier, a war widow's pension is automatically awarded where a constant attendance allowance was in payment to the late husband. That, ensures that automatic entitlement is properly targeted on widows of the most severely disabled war pensioners who were assessed at 80 per cent. or more disablement: and who were in need of most care and attention during their lifetime.

§ Baroness Gardner of Parkes
My Lords, is the Minister aware that I was privileged to be the first honorary president of the War Widows Association of Great Britain and that my noble friend Lady Strange is currently president? Neither of us is a war widow but we are aware of the marvellous spirit and deserving nature of those women. Does the arrangement still apply that 475 older war widows receive more than the younger ones, or are equal payments now made for the old and the young?

Viscount Astor
My Lords, a disablement war pension depends on many different factors. There were different rules relating to pre-1973 war pensions. Post-1973 widows are now paid attributable widows' pensions under the MoD Armed Forces Pension Scheme. The majority of war widows from earlier conflicts receive comparable sums of money.

§ Lord Bonham-Carter
My Lords, whatever the Government decide to do about pensions for war widows, will the Minister at least ensure that the widows of British ex-servicemen stranded in Hong Kong are given British passports?

Viscount Astor
My Lords, that is a rather different question as it relates to Hong Kong and nationality and has nothing to do with war pensions.

§ Lord Dean of Beswick
My Lords, in his reply to the first supplementary question, the Minister gave a figure of £140 a week. However, can he say what that amount represents? Is it a basic, average pension? If that is the case, are there other government sources from which further moneys could be derived so as to bolster that amount?

Viscount Astor
My Lords, I gave the average figure. Of course, £58 of the amount can be wholly disregarded for income-related benefit purposes. Moreover, widows do receive age allowances; for example, widows aged 65 receive £8.50, widows aged 70 receive £16.40 and widows aged 80 or over receive £24.40.

§ Lord Elton
My Lords, my noble friend the Minister referred to the magic date of 1973. Therefore, presumably he is aware that the widow of a serviceman who retired after 1973 receives half of his pension when he dies, whereas a widow whose serviceman husband retired before 1973 only receives one-third. Is that not a case which, on its merits—as my noble and learned friend Lord Hailsham rightly pointed out —ought to be considered as soon as possible to make those widows pari passu with their sisters?

Viscount Astor
My Lords, before 1973 the widow of a retired serviceman was entitled to a pension equal to one-third of her late husband's pension. In 1973 that was increased to half. That improvement applied only to that part of the husband's pension earned by service after 31st March 1973 and was not retrospective. However, those serving after that date could top up earlier service to increase their widow's benefits; and, indeed, many did so.
To comply with the Social Security Pensions Act 1975, pensions under the Armed Forces Pension Scheme are paid to the widows of post-retirement marriages. Those widows receive pensions which are based only on their husband's service from 6th April 1978. It is a fundamental principle of occupational pension schemes that when an individual retires it is the 476 provisions of the pension scheme in force at that date which determine his pension entitlement. I realise that that is a rather complicated answer, but I hope that it deals with my noble friend's point. We are dealing with a complicated area.

§ Baroness Hollis of Heigham
My Lords, I should like to ask the Minister to look sympathetically at another anomaly which has arisen. At present, most people on benefit—that is, old age pensions, invalidity benefit and so on—will receive an extra 50 pence a week to protect them against VAT charges on fuel. However, as I understand it, 50,000 younger disabled war pensioners do not receive such VAT protection. Will the Minister look at the situation sympathetically because the needs of those people are at least as great as those of any other group in the community?

Viscount Astor
My Lords, from April 1994, in line with all widows pensions, war widows received an extra 50 pence a week to help with VAT charges on fuel. In addition, about 35 per cent, also receive double help because they are in receipt of a retirement pension based on their own contributions.

§ Baroness Hollis of Heigham
My Lords, I asked a question about disabled pensioners, not about war widows.

Viscount Astor
My Lords, the Question on the Order Paper refers to "war widows".

§ Lord Mackie of Benshie
My Lords, will the Minister explain to the House that the amount received by war widows is made up of other benefits such as income support, and so on, and that the basic pension is round about £74 to £75 per week?

Viscount Astor
My Lords, I am afraid that I do not have the relevant figures with me. I was pointing out what the provisions were and what the majority of war widows aged 70 currently receive.