WIDOWS' PENSIONS

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 108, 2 November 1929, Page 9

WIDOWS' PENSIONS

BJLL DOUBLES NUMBER

CRITICISM IX COSIMCL\ TS

United Press Aisodation—By Electric Tcle^ graph—Copyright. LONDON, 31st October. In the House of Commons the Minister of Health, Mr. Arthur Greenwood moving the second reading of the "Widows, Orphans, Old Age, and Contributory Pensions Bill, said it was merely an instalment of a larger policy. A Cabinet committee was surveying the complex problem. The present Bill, the Minister said, would remove several hardships and would provide pensions for altogethehalf a million widows. Sir. Neville Chamberlain had attacked the measure because he said it would cost eight millions sterling per year, but if thov had been asked for eight millions for battleships the v Conservatives would have given it. -Mr. Neville Chamberlain (Minister of Health in the Baldwin Government) said that during the election Mr. Henderson had promised- pensions tb every widow in the land and an increase ""of old age pensions to £1, though he must have known that his promise could not be kept. Labour members were beginning to think about finance, but when they came to raise money they would learn that there was no bottomless pit about finance. Mr. D. W. Gunston (C.) said that this was not a Pensions Bill, but was a shower of gold from the State. He did not see why spinsters should'not share in the shower of gold. Sir Kingsley Wood (C.) said that the Bill was a betrayal of all the election pledges given by the Labour Party. It was a most unjust measure. Miss Susan Lawrence (Under-Secre-tary of Health), summing up on behalf of the Government, said that no- one had any right to expect that this Bill would carry out all the Labour Party's pledges. It was merely an instalment, but it doubled the number of widows' pensions. ■ The Bill was read a second time without division.

The new Bill extends the provisions of the Act passed by the Conservative Government in 1920 giving pensions to the widows of men who come under the- State Health Insurance. The Bill has a. retrospective provision granting pensions to widows aged 55 to 70 of men of; the insured class who died before the Act of 1925 came into force or were over 70 on that date, and therefore no longer came under Health Insurance. AJ; the ago of 70 widows are to receive old age pensions without any disqualification or reduction, for means, residence, or nationality, as hitherto. Widows under 55 who receive pensions 'for children are to draw them until the youngest child is 115, instead of 144, as now. It is estimated that half a. million more widows than hitherto will receive 10s a week under the new Bill.