§ Mr. Andrew F. Bennettasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will review the arrangements for paying pensions to surviving spouses during the weeks immediately after the death of their spouse.
§ Mr. OrmeA widow who is under 60 when her husband dies, or whose husband was not a retirement pensioner, may, if all the conditions are satisfied, qualify for a widow's allowance for the first 26 weeks of widowhood. This allowance, which is intended as a resettlement benefit, is paid at a higher rate than the standard rate widow's pension. Otherwise, depending on age and other circumstances, she may become entitled straight away to a widow's pension, widowed mother's allowance or retirement pension, or to a retirement pension at a higher rate than the one she was receiving previously. From 6 April 1979, a widower who is over pension age, and whose wife was over 60 when she died, may be able to qualify for a retirement pension on her insurance or to a pension at a higher rate than he was receiving already. I do not consider that any review of these arrangements is called for.