§ Mr. Viggersasked the Secretary of State for Defence how many widows of service men have been granted pensions or special payments in the following circumstances: (a) where a widow has lost her service pension on remarriage and has then been widowed a second time and (b) where a woman marries her serviceman husband after his retirement and is then widowed; and what are the criteria upon which the decision is made and the amount assessed.
§ Mr. LeeThe number of widows pensions awarded in categories(a) and (b) could be provided only at quite disproportionate cost.
The conditions governing awards of pension and determination of amount in these categories are:
Category (a). A service pension may be restored to a widow on second widowhood if she is worse off after her second husband's death; that is if her income from all sources excluding DHSS benefits is lower than the income, including the service widow's pension, she was receiving after her first husband's death. The restored pension is enhanced by all the appropriate pension increases awarded since her first husband's death.Category (b). The armed forces pension scheme pros ides a pension for a widow who married her husband after his retirement from the armed forces if service was given on or after 6 April 1978. The pension is calculated on the length of service given only since that date.Exceptionally, an ex-gratia award of one half of the normal rate of widow's pension may be made in the case of a widow who did not marry her husband until after his retirement from the service but lived with him before his retirement provided there is evidence to show that the relationship was indistinguishable from a legal marriage, the couple were prevented from becoming legally married by reasons outside their control and they were legally married as soon as they were free to do so.