War Widows Pensions Debate

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Department: Ministry of Defence

War Widows Pensions

Baroness Fookes Excerpts
Thursday 10th December 2020

(3 years, 11 months ago)

Lords Chamber
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Lord Lexden Portrait The Deputy Speaker (Lord Lexden) (Con)
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I repeat the request for brevity.

Baroness Fookes Portrait Baroness Fookes (Con)
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My Lords, as president of the War Widows’ Association, I am enraged by the failure of government to find a solution. Is it the Government’s intention to procrastinate for so long that these few elderly widows will all be dead?

Baroness Goldie Portrait Baroness Goldie (Con) [V]
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No. I say to my noble friend that of course it is not. I have no wish to be evasive. That is why, at the risk of incurring the displeasure of the Deputy Speaker, I thought it important to give the noble Baroness, Lady Crawley, as full an explanation as I could of the complexities. I am being very frank with the Chamber. This is not about a lack of will on the part of the MoD to find a solution; it is about recognising the challenges of getting a route towards a solution. That is the difficulty. These are not manufactured complexities; they affect the whole of government.