§ Mr. Pawseyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will now extend the eligibility for death grant to people born before 1888.
§ Mr. PrenticeI presume that my hon. Friend has in mind that no death grant is payable in respect of men born before 5 July 1883 and women born before 5 July 1888, who were over pension age when the national insurance scheme began in 1948 and who could have paid no contributions towards the grant. Eligibility for the grant for these groups has to be weighed against other priorities and I 99W have no current proposals to amend these provisions.