§ Mr. Wigleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will take steps to ensure that the pension eligibility of a widow who lost her husband prior to her attaining the age of 50 years becomes equal to that of a widow who lost her husband after reaching the age of 50 years, for the period commencing with her 50th birthday.
§ Mr. OrmeNo. A young widow has a better opportunity of obtaining and remaining in employment than a woman widowed at 50 or over. By the time the younger widow reaches age 50 she will probably be settled in employment and there are therefore no reasonable grounds for increasing her widow's pension from that age. A widow with dependent children does not, of course, have her pension reduced on account of her age.