§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of ,State for Defence if he will list the annual pensions currently payable by his Department to the widow of a private soldier killed (a) in the first world war, (b) in the second world war, (c) between 1950 and 1973 and (d) since 1973.
§ Mr. LeePrior to 1 September 1950 the widows of service men below the rank of warrant officer I or its equivalent could not qualify for a pension from the armed forces own occupational pension scheme. The widows of privates killed in the first arid second world wars therefore receive no pension from the Ministry of Defence although 119W they do of course receive a war widows' pension from the DHSS. The widows of men killed in service between 1 September 1950 and 30 March 1973, provided the husband had met the required length of service qualification for an award, receive a pension which for the widow of a private is never less than £377.25 a year. Where one third of the invaliding pension that might have been awarded to the husband on the date of his death would produce a higher figure, this is paid instead. Since 31 March 1973 the Ministry of Defence has awarded a markedly improved pension to the widows of service men whose deaths were attributable to their service, and for this no qualifying length of service is required of the husband. The pension currently awarded to the widow of a private is worth £2,359 a year.
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received concerning the rate of pensions payable by his Department to war widows; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. LeeI have received representations from the Officers Pensions Society, the Royal British Legion, the British War Widows and Associates and the War Widows Association of Great Britain. I have also received representations from individual war widows, members of the public and over 50 Members of Parliament on behalf of their constituents. All sought varying degrees of retrospective improvement to the armed forces occupational pension scheme which, on grounds of their great cost, had to be refused.