§ Mr. Silkinasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that hardship has ensued as a result of the decision of his predecessor, made in February, 1940, that the spouse's contributory pension must be included in the joint yearly means for the purposes of a contributory pension under the Old Age Pensions Act, 1936; and whether, having regard thereto and to the terms of Section 1 (b) of the First Schedule of that Act, he will state the grounds for that decision and reconsider the matter or, if necessary, introduce amending legislation?
§ Captain CrookshankThere is no provision in the law which permits the exclusion of a contributory pension from the calculation of the joint means of a married couple to determine the title of one of them to a non-contributory pension under the Old Age Pensions Act, 1936. I am not aware that cases of hardship arise from the operation of the law, and any cases of need would be eligible for consideration under the scheme of supplementary pensions embodied in the legislation of last Session.