HC Deb 22 November 1974 vol 881 c558W
Mr. John Moore

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many widows and widowers there are in the United Kingdom;

(2) how many widows and widowers in the United Kingdom have dependent children.

Mr. Alec Jones

The numbers of widows and widowers enumerated in the United Kingdom and Great Britain by the 1971 Census of Population were:

United Kingdom Great Britain
Widows 3,138,628 3,068,195
Widowers 762,420 743,890

The figures for widows and widowers with dependent children are not available for the United Kingdom.

The 1971 Census of Population of Great Britain showed 131,120 widows and 33,690 widowers with dependent children under 19 years of age.