§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he hopes to make a decision with regard to the back payment of the widow's pension for Mrs. I. E. Hart of 21 Greenswood road, Brixham, Devon; and if he will make a statement as to the reason for the delay.
§ Mrs. Gillian ShephardI am grateful to my hon. Friend for bringing this matter to my attention. Mrs. Hart's case is a complicated one which involves inquiries going back a number of years. However, I have to say that there has been an unacceptable delay in the handling of her case, and for this I offer Mrs. Hart my apologies. Urgent action is now being taken to put this right. A member of the Department's management at Torbay local office will visit Mrs. Hart today to explain the reasons, and apologise for the delay. The local office manager will write to my hon. Friend as soon as the case has been resolved.