§ Mr. Thorpeasked the Secretary of State for Defence what action he proposes to take to end the anomaly whereby widows of officers who have died from natural causes while in service could, depending on the officer's length of service, receive a service widow's pension, which is less than the widow's pension paid from the National Insurance Fund.
§ Mr. BoydenWidows' service pensions vary in amount according to the husband's rank and length of service at his death, whereas National Insurance pensions are paid at a fiat rate. The two pensions are unrelated; some officers' widows may therefore qualify for both pensions and some for a service pension only.