§ 34. Mr. Dempseyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will introduce legislation to end the discrimination against widows, whereby their pensions are taken into account when determining their entitlement to training grants; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. O'MalleyThe present arrangements do not discriminate against widows. The general rule is that national insurance benefits are replaced by training allowances at a higher rate during training. The exceptions to this general rule apply to a widowed mother416W who can retain her widowed mother's allowance and receive in addition an abated training allowance normally at a weekly rate of £3.50 and to any widow during the first six months of widowhood. In both these cases more is payable, in total, to the widow than would be payable to other trainees. Perhaps my hon. Friend would let me know if he is aware of a particular case of difficulty.