# Social Security Act 1975, Section 71: Parents


(1) A parent of the deceased shall be entitled to death benefit if at the deceased's death he or she was being to a substantial extent maintained by the deceased, or would but for the relevant accident have been so maintained.
(2) In the case of a parent who, at the deceased's death, was being wholly or mainly maintained by the deceased, or would but for the relevant accident have been so maintained, death benefit shall be a pension commencing from the death of the deceased and, subject to subsection (3) below, payable for life,
(3) A pension payable under subsection (2) above to the deceased's mother—
(a) shall terminate on her remarriage or marriage; and
(b) shall not be payable for any period during which she is cohabiting with a man not her husband,
unless the man whom she marries or, as the case may be, with whom she is cohabiting is a man with whom she was cohabiting immediately before the deceased's death.
(4) In the case of a parent entitled to death benefit under subsection (1) above but not to a pension under subsection (2), death benefit shall be a gratuity payable, if and in such cases as regulations so provide, by instalments.
(5) Subject to section 74 of this Act—
(a) the weekly rate of a pension payable to a parent under subsection (2) above shall be 75 pence for any period during which the parents are living together and are both entitled to such a pension (whether in respect of the same or another death), and £1 for any other period;
(b) the amount of a gratuity payable to a parent under subsection (4) shall be £52, subject to the provisions of Schedule 9 limiting the benefit payable in respect of any death.
(6) In this section, " parent" includes a step-parent and a parent by adoption and, in a case where the deceased was illegitimate, his mother; and " mother" shall be construed accordingly.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1975/14/section/71 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/social-security-act-1975/section-71
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.