§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what recent discussions he has had with ex-service and other organisations about war widows' pensions. [213328]
§ Mr. ArbuthnotThe Minister with special responsibility for war pensions meets regularly with members of the war pension committees and twice-yearly (in June and December) with members of the Central Advisory Committee on War Pensions. At these meetings, matters of concern to both war disablement pensioners and war widows are discussed. He also met on 25 April with Major General Sir Laurence New CB CBE, to discuss the campaign by the Officers' Pensions Society, the War Widows Association of Great Britain, the RAF Widows Association and Help the Aged, for improvements to the pension provision for war and service widows. During that meeting our decision announced on 24 April to restore the war widow's pension to those former war widows who had become widowed for a second time, divorced or legally separated was discussed.