§ Mr. Ovendenasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his latest estimate of the cost of abolishing the overlapping benefits rule in respect of working widows' entitlement to industrial injuries benefit, sickness benefit, unemployment benefit and invalidity benefit respectively.
§ Mr. OrmeAs I explained in my reply to my hon. Friend on 17th March—[Vol.534W 928, c. 263–4—it is not possible to estimate the cost of permitting the payment of unemployment benefit, sickness benefit or invalidity benefit in addition to widow's benefit. The cost of permitting the payment of industrial injuries benefit with widow's benefit would now be about £600,000 a year.