§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many cases were helped by local war pensions committees over the last five years; and at what cost;
(2) whether he has any plans to increase resources available to local war pensions committees.
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§ Miss WiddecombeThe numbers of cases relating to war pensions and allowances which were heard by local war pensions committees over the last five years is as follows:
- 1986 — 289
- 1987 — 240
- 1988 — 356
- 1989 — 251
- 1990 — 247
In addition, members of the committees and their associated voluntary workers undertook a number of welfare visits to war pensioners in their own homes.
Information on the cost of war pensions committees is not available. Expenditure on the committees is met from the overall budget for the war pensioners welfare service and is not recorded separately. We have no current plans to increase the resources available to war pensions committees.
§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what is the current budget available to the section of his Department which administers the war pensioners' welfare service; and what increases are planned for the next two years;
(2) whether he has any plans to extend the scope and expand the services provided by the war pensioners' welfare service.
§ Miss WiddecombeThe budget available for the administration of the war pensioners' welfare service for 1991–92 is £3.7 million. Budgets for the following two years have not yet been decided.
The war pensioners' welfare service is available to all war disablement pensioners and war widows, and its services are kept under regular review. The war pensions directorate, which is responsible for delivering those services, is currently in the process of consulting ex-service 65W organisations about them. We shall review the services provided by the welfare service in the light of those consultations.