§ Mr. J. L. Williamsasked the Minister of National Insurance how many pension claims from the city of Glasgow under the Contributory Pensions Act and the National Insurance Act, respectively, from widows of men who were in insured employment have been disallowed because the necessary statutory condition at the date of the husband's death was not satisfied.
§ Mr. J. GriffithsI regret that the statistics of my Department are not kept on a local basis which would enable me to give the information requested.
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§ Mr. J. L. Williamsasked the Minister of National Insurance how many pension claims under the Contributory Pensions Act and the National Insurance Act, respectively, from widows of men who were in insured employment have been disallowed because the necessary statutory condition at the date of the husband's death was not satisfied; and what action he proposes to take to deal with the problem created by these refusals.
§ Mr. J. GriffithsNo widows' pensions will be payable under the National Insurance Act until after the Appointed Day. Some 2,300 widows' pensions are awarded each week under the Contributory Pensions Acts and the average number of claims found to be inadmissible each week is 250. It is estimated that about three-quarters of these are cases in which the husband was not an insured person at the date of his death and so did not satisfy the principal statutory condition for the award of a pension. Of the remainder about one-third, or one-tenth of the whole, are cases in which the contribution conditions laid down by the Acts were not satisfied.
As regards the second part of the Question my hon. Friend will be aware that I have no power to modify the statutory requirements for the award of pension. Existing provision for meeting the needs of persons not qualified for insurance benefits will be replaced next year by a comprehensive National Assistance Scheme.