§ Mrs. Iris RobinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much funding has been made available from the Police Fund to police widows whose husbands were killed on duty prior to 1981 in non-terrorist incidents; and how many individuals this involved. [173597]
§ Mr. PearsonIn accordance with the scope and recommendations contained in the Steele Report, the Northern Ireland Police Fund does not ordinarily make any direct grant assistance to police widows whose husbands were killed on duty prior to 1981 in non-terrorist incidents.
However, the Steele Report also recommended that the Police Fund should assume the responsibility for the £1,000 that the RUC Benevolent Funds pays annually to each widow who was bereaved prior to 25 November 1982. It has transpired that the list, administered by the RUC Benevolent Fund, includes 11 widows whose husbands were killed on duty in non-terrorist incidents. Thus the Police Fund has indirectly provided funding to these widows totalling –33,000.
702WWhile these widows will continue to be eligible to receive their annual award from the RUC Benevolent Fund, I have been advised that the Police Fund are taking steps to recoup this over-payment from the RUC Benevolent Fund.