§ Mr. Neaveasked the Minister of State for Defence whether he can now state how many widows survive of members of the Armed Forces who married after their husbands had retired from the Service, and receive no pension.
§ Lord BalnielAs my hon. Friend stated in his answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Abingdon (Mr. Neave) on 4th March, there are no records of such widows, but it is estimated that there are about 3,000.—[Vol. 812, c. 508.]
§ Mr. Neaveasked the Minister of State for Defence what the cost would be of paying a pension under the Forces' Family Ordinary Pension Scheme to widows of members of the Armed Forces who married after their discharge or retirement.
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§ Lord BalnielWe have no means of calculating the cost accurately, but the information we have suggests that it would be of the order of £750,000 a year.