§ Mr. MeacherTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science, pursuant to his answers of 11 December, Official Report, column 448–49 and 2 December, Official Report, column 16 on the teachers' superannuation scheme, what is the basis for paying widowers' pensions in respect of service from 6 April 1988604W and charging extra for the optional cover from 1 April 1972 to 5 April 1988 when widows' pensions are paid on all service from 1 April 1972.
§ Mr. FallonThe normal contribution rate, of which an individual teacher pays 6 per cent. of salary and his or her employer the balance, is determined by the Government Actuary in his quinquennial valuations of the scheme. For the period 1 April 1972 to 5 April 1988, the Government Actuary took into account the cost of providing widows' pensions as a benefit of the scheme but not widowers' pensions and the normal contribution rate reflected this. In his most recent valuation, the actuary has taken account of the fact that widowers' benefits are now provided by the scheme with effect from 6 April 1988. Widowers' benefits prior to 6 April 1988 have not been covered by the contributions already paid by teachers and employers and on that basis the arrangements set out in my answer of 2 December were introduced.