(1) Subject to this Act and regulations, deserted wife's allowance shall be paid to a woman who -
(a) has been deserted by her husband,
(b) is 40 years of age or over, and
(c) satisfies the conditions as to means calculated in accordance with the Rules contained in Part II of the Third Schedule.
(2) The rate of deserted wife's allowance shall be the same as the rate of the widow's (non-contributory) pension which would be payable to the woman under Chapter 6 if she were a widow.