§ 133. Mr. ChurchillTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what would be the net annual cost to the Exchequer if the war widows' pension for pre-1973 war widows were to be placed on the same level as applies to post-1973 war widows.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonThe standard rate of war widows pension paid by the Department of Social Security is the same regardless of when the husband served or died. Differences arise in the total benefits received by war widows for a number of reasons, such as their eligibility for awards under the provisions of the occupational scheme for the armed forces, the date of the award under the 113W scheme, and eligibility for other pensions or income-related benefits. It has been estimated that the cost of awarding an attributable family pension under the armed forces occupational pension scheme, at current rates, to all service widows who are ineligible for such an award but who receive a war widows pension under the DSS scheme, would be around £200 million a year. That is an approximate cost. Production of a refined net cost would require a detailed assessment of the personal circumstances of every war widow who would be affected.