§ 33. Mrs. Whiteasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many widowed mothers he estimates will have their pensions extinguished under the new earnings regulations.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterUntil the new regulations, which will come into operation on 21st March, have been in operation for a little time, any figures which I can give must necessarily be speculative. Subject to this, it seems probable62W that a few hundred widowed mothers will have their personal allowances extinguished, and that perhaps 5,000 will have it reduced to the 10s. drawn on account of the husband's insurance under the old Acts. In no case, of course, will the allowance for the widow's children be reduced by reason of her earnings.
§ 34. Captain Corfieldasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance why, in view of the practice whereby non-transferable meal vouchers to a maximum value of 3s. per day are free of tax irrespective of the income of the employee, meals valued at a lesser amount are included in the income of old-age pensioners and widows for the purposes of applying the earnings rule.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterBecause the National Insurance Commissioner, who as my hon. and gallant Friend knows is the final determining authority on matters of this kind, has ruled that the value of free meals provided by employers has to be taken into account for this purpose.