§ Mr. Gerald HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the number of war widows currently receiving benefit whose husbands were killed in the second world war or the Korean war; and what is the amount of benefit available to them.
§ Mrs. Gillian ShephardAt 30 September this year, 52,217 widows whose husbands died as a result of the second world war, subsequent conflicts and attributable service were receiving a war widows pension under the war pensions scheme administered by the Department. Information about the numbers of those whose husbands were killed in the second world war and the Korean war is not readily available. The standard war widows pension is currently £56.65 a week. In addition, age allowances of 307W £6.10 at 65, £12.20 at 70 and £13.50 at 80 are paid. A widow receiving a war widows pension may also receive any national insurance benefit earned by her own contributions and some non-contributory benefits.
§ Mr. Alfred MorrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he has any plans to increase the benefits paid to war widows of two world wars to make them more comparable with the incomes of widows of service men who died after 1973.
§ Mrs. Gillian ShephardI refer the right hon. Member to the reply given to him on 8 November at column673–74. War widows receiving a war widows pension are eligible in addition for national insurance benefits earned by their own contributions and some non-contributory benefits. As my right hon. Friend reminded the House in his uprating statement on 25 October, from April 1990 we will raise the amount of the war pension or the war widows pension which is disregarded in calculating entitlement to income-related benefits from £5 to £10.