§ Mrs. Castleasked the Lord President of the Council what would be the cost to the Parliamentary Contributory Pensions Fund of paying pensions to the widowers of Members on the same basis as pensions are at present paid to their widows; and what increase would be necessary in Members' contributions to meet this cost.
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§ Mr. John SmithSince the Parliamentary Contribution Pensions Scheme has relatively few lady Members, no significant additional cost would arise if benefits were to be available equally to widows and widowers. Such a change would, however, set a precedent for comparable public service pension schemes where the cost would be very substantial.