§ Mr. Wigleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the cost of providing the equivalent of widow's benefit to those families where the lone parent is a father, in line with the Government's long-term objective outlined in a letter of 5 April from the Under-Secretary of State to the hon. Member for Caernarvon.
§ Mr. RossiThe estimated cost of providing a pension to widowed fathers equivalent to widowed mother's allowance would be about £110 million, at 1981–82 benefit levels. The Government have no specific long-term plans to link provisions for widowers with that for widows.