As in the case of all insurance based schemes, minimum contribution conditions have to be satisfied. To qualify for a survivor's contributory pension contributions must have been paid in respect of at least 156 contribution weeks (3 years) between the deceased person's date of entry into insurance and the date of his or her death. Entitlement can be based on either the applicant's own or their late spouse's social insurance record but the two records cannot be combined to qualify. The person must also satisfy a yearly average condition.
A widow who fails to qualify for a survivor's contributory pension can of course apply for a widow's non-contributory pension, which is payable subject to a means test. The fact that she had failed to qualify for a contributory pension would have no relevance to her application. Consequently statistics are not kept in the form requested by the Deputy.