A grieving widower is considering making a legal challenge to win a backdated payment from the Government following its pledge to rethink the bereavement benefits system.

John Scott, of Fagley, Bradford, gave up his job as a security guard in 1993 to care for his wife, Brenda, after she contracted cervical cancer.

She developed chronic arthritis and the subsequent medical treatment caused her kidneys to fail.

After a brave battle - which finally saw her beat the cancer - she died at the beginning of this month, aged 50, from bronchial pneumonia.

Under existing legislation, Mr Scott, 53, is not entitled to a penny of the £1,000 bereavement grant offered by the Department for Social Security simply because he is a man.

The lump sum is one of a number of bereavement payments which are only awarded to widows. Following a challenge in the European courts, the Government has decided to modernise the system.

But the proposed reforms set out by Social Security Secretary Alistair Darling this week - which include doubling the grant to £2,000 and awarding it to both men and women - will not take effect until April 2001.

Mr Scott, who now lives with his 16-year-old daughter, Anna, and 22-year-old son, Carl, says that is cold comfort to him and others who find themselves in the same position and he hopes to challenge the Government to get backdated payments.

He said: "I could have put my wife in a nursing home and carried on working. But I loved her with all my heart and wanted to be there for her.

"I am not entitled to a penny of the grant just because I am a man. This kind of sexual discrimination is not fair and should have been addressed years ago.

"I don't know how I am going to cope. I'm 53-years-old and I don't hold out much hope of getting another job because of my age.

"I welcome the move to change the system, but it's no use saying things will be better in three years - I need the money now."

Terry Rooney, Labour MP for Bradford North, said although he sympathised with Mr Scott it was impossible to introduce the new system any quicker.

A spokesman for the Depart-ment for Social Security said the system - devised in the 1940s - was clearly no longer applicable to today's society.

He said: "The changes will only come into effect in April 2001. There will be no backdated claims. Unfortunately, Mr Scott will not be eligible for a lump sum payment."

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