Widow's Pension

HC Deb 05 May 1967 vol 746 cc134-5W

Mr. Bessell

asked the Minister of Social Security if she will seek to extend entitlement to widow's basic pension to all widows whose husband's insurance contributions commenced on any date prior to January, 1949.

Miss Herbison

Widow's basic pension is payable only to those widows whose husbands were still insured under the Contributory Pensions Acts at the time the National Insurance scheme started and who would have qualified for the 10s. widow's pension if that legislation had remained in force. Those Acts were repealed with effect from July, 1948. The pension has no counterpart in the permanent provisions of the National Insurance scheme which succeeded them and I do not think it would be right to alter the conditions for it.