§ Mr. ChaytorTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether those widows now over the age of 45 who were widowed before the age of 45 will continue to receive the widow's pension at age 60 following the implementation of his reform proposals; and what will be the basis of the calculation of their pension entitlement. [67674]
§ Angela EagleThe proposals set out in the consultation document, "Support in Bereavement", would have no effect on current widows.
A woman who was widowed before age 45 and who is receiving a Widow's Pension on reaching age 60, either because she qualified for a Widow's Pension when her Widowed Mother's Allowance ceased or because she was widowed before April 1988, will be able to continue to receive it up to age 65. Alternatively, she can claim Retirement Pension, in which case her Widow's Pension will be carried forward and paid as Category B pension. It may be paid in combination with any Category A pension to which she is entitled on her own contribution record. But in these cases, the basic pension cannot be more than the full rate for a single person and the SERPS cannot be more than the maximum payable to a single person reaching pension age.