§ Mrs. Wiseasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average delay which occurs between the date of bereavement and the actual payment, not the due date, of widowed mother's allowance.
§ Mr. Alec JonesAs widowed mother's allowance does not usually become payable until 26 weeks after the date of bereavement there is rarely any delay in 509W payment. A widow's allowance is normally payable for the 26 weeks immediately following bereavement, and in the great majority of cases payment is made within a few days' receipt of the claim accompanied by the appropriate documents. If my hon. Friend has a particular case of delay in mind, however, I shall be pleased to look into it.