§ Mrs. LaitTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if(a) widows and (b) widowers who were Far East prisoners of war are also entitled to the ex-gratia payment for their spouse in cases where the spouse was also a Far East prisoner. [140929]
§ Mr. BayleyYes. In such a case the claimant would satisfy the criteria for payment on two counts—first, as a surviving member of one of the British groups held captive by the Japanese during the second World War and, second, as the surviving spouse of someone who would otherwise have been entitled to an ex-gratia payment.