§ Mr. Dudley Smithasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if, in the light of the fact that many widows are having to wait three months or more before they are issued with an appropriate pension book, with consequent delays in their being able to obtain senior citizens' rail cards, bus passes and so on, he will give instructions to his central clearing office at Newcastle-upon-Tyne that it must produce the essential documentation within a reasonable period of a married woman's bereavement.
§ Mrs. ChalkerThe arrangements operated by local offices of the Department of Health and Social Security and by the Newcastle central office are designed to ensure that benefit is put into payment to pensioners as quickly as possible. In some circumstances payments are made by Girocheque pending the issue of an appropriate order book. If my hon. Friend is aware of any cases in which difficulties are being experienced and will let me have details, I will look into them.
The Department has no responsibility for administering concessions which may be based on other criteria than receipt of a pension. But I understand that some documents issued by the Department, in addition to pension books, are normally 204W accepted as proof of status as a pensioner. Where no such document is available or does not serve the purpose, I understand that birth certificates are often acceptable. However, if a pensioner has difficulties in producing an acceptable document, his local social security office should be able to help him.