§ Mr. HayesTo ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his oral answer of 12 May 1999,Official Report, column 315, if he will make a statement on the progress of his review into the way in which war widows pensions relate to housing benefit. [84665]
§ The Prime Minister[holding answer 18 May 1999]: The mandatory disregards for War Disablement and War Widows' Pensions that already exist in Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit recognise the special nature of these pensions, and ensure that the pensioners receive preferential treatment. For example, a war pensioner can have between £10 and £181 a week of his pension disregarded on a statutory basis.
We will keep this under review, but further extending existing disregards is not a main priority: A full disregard of War Disablement and War Widows' Pension in Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit would cost in the region of an additional £70 million a year.