§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the average length of time now taken to process a claim for a widow's pension; what is the target set by the Department for processing such claims; and what steps are being taken to speed up the process.
§ Mrs. Gillian ShephardI regret that information is not yet available on the average length of time taken to process a claim for widow's pension.
The Department has recently reinforced its standing instructions to re-emphasise the need for urgency in dealing with all claims for widow's benefit.