§ Mr. Meacherasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will take steps to ensure that married women potentially liable to the half-test rule shall be enabled, through payment of the non-employed persons' contributions, to obtain a full rate of pension at retirement age, especially when they have married relatively late in life.
§ Mr. DeanNon-employed persons' contributions properly paid by married women already count towards the satisfaction of the "half-test" but it would be incompatible with the purpose of this test to allow married women to pay retrospectively for periods when they had chosen not to pay at the time.