asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many war widows there are from the period of (a) World War I and (b) World War II; and what is the total of all war widows.
The information requested is given below.
| War Widows Pensions in Payment at 31st March 1978 | ||||
| 1914 War: | … | … | … | 18,800 |
| 1939 War: | … | … | … | 63,900 |
| Total | … | … | … | 82,700 |
Note:
1914 war figures include former wars: 1939 war figures include those awarded in respect of subsequent service.
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list in the Official Report the value of a war widow's pension for each rank in the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, as at 1st April 1950, 1st April 1960, 1st April 1970, and 1st April 1978; and show for comparison the cost of living index at those dates, taking the index and the value of the £ sterling as 100 at 1st April 1950, and assuming that the widow in each case had two children of 11 years and 7 years of age.
I will let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.