§ Mr. SpellerTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will seek powers to give the same remuneration to war widows from world war one and world war two as is paid to Falklands campaign widows.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonWar widows receive those pensions to which they are eligible under the provisions of appropriate schemes. All war widows receive a war widow's pension under the war pensions scheme administered by the Department of Social Security. Pensions may also be payable under the terms of the occupational scheme for the armed forces. The widows of32W men who died during, or as a result of, the Falklands campaign are eligible for an attributable forces family pension under that scheme as the result of improvements which were introduced from 31 March 1973 and applied only to those personnel who gave service on or after that date. There are no plans to extend eligibility to those whose service ended before that date.
§ Mr. HigginsTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what benefits payable to war widows under the contributory pension scheme are covered by contributions; and to what extent they are financed by other forms of revenue.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonThe armed forces pension scheme is non-contributory. The cost of forces family pensions, paid to those war widows who are eligible, is met from the funds allocated to the appropriate defence vote. However, subsequent to the appointment of the Review Body on Armed Forces Pay in September 1971, it has been the practice of that body to make an adjustment, within the process of determining recommended rates of pay for the armed forces, which takes into account differences in superannuation benefits between those of the armed forces scheme and those of comparators' schemes.