§ Mr. Cartwrightasked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what would be the current cost of paying full Service pensions to the widows of Service personnel who were discharged on or before 31 August 1950 ;
585W(2) how many widows of Service personnel who were discharged on or before 31 August 1950 are not receiving a full Service pension.
§ Mr. SpeedThe widows of Service pensioners discharged on or before 31 August 1950 receive rates which are in line with the full service widows pensions applicable to the widows of servicemen of the same rank who retired in the period immediately after 31 August 1950.
§ Mr. Cartwrightasked the Secretary of State for Defence how many Service widows currently receiving special family pensions are estimated to have children under the age of 16 years ; and what would be the estimated cost of providing a child element in such cases.
§ Mr. SpeedThis information is not available.
However, the scheme which I announced on 8 November 1979 provides only for the payment of pensions to the widows of other rank pensioners who were discharged before 1 September 1950. There is no provision for payment of children's pensions, since the vast majority of these ladies are now in their late sixties and seventies.