HC Deb 26 June 1989 vol 155 c309W
Sir Michael McNair-Wilson

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how many war widows are receiving war widows pensions because their husband left the services before 31 March 1973; and what would be the total cost of uprating their pensions to £5,000 per person.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

At 31 March approximately 56,000 pre-1973 war widows were in receipt of a pension under the war pensions scheme. We estimate that the total extra cost of uprating their pensions to £5,000 per person would be about £100 million per annum.