§ Mr. ViggersTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give details of the changes that he proposes in the eligibility for war widows' pensions whereby pension will be diminished or denied where the deceased has contributed to or caused his own death by tobacco or alcohol poisoning.
§ Mr. HagueI have been asked to reply.
On 4 January 1994 we wrote to members of the Central Advisory Committee on War Pensions with proposals to exclude from the scope of the War Pensions scheme any death or disablement due to the use or effects of tobacco or the consumption of alcohol. This exclusion would not apply where the individual was suffering from a mental disablement which was attributable to service, assessed at 80 per cent. or more, and caused him to smoke or drink or prevented him from giving up the habit.
We are now considering their responses and no decisions have been made.