Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Pensioners (Heating Allowance) on 7th April 1987.
Mr. Bill Walker Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give details of the number of pensioners who are in receipt of a heating allowance.
Mr. Major It is estimated that nearly 1.5 million pensioners were in receipt of a heating addition in 1984, the latest year for which information is available.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Personal Pensions on 7th April 1987.
Mr. Gerald Bowden Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what further proposals he has to encourage the take-up of personal pensions.
Mr. Major The introduction of freestanding additional voluntary contributions in October and the earlier start for personal pensions in January 1988, both announced by the Government last month, have attracted great interest. We will be taking steps later this year to explain the new pensions choices and opportunities that will be available as a result of last year’s Social Security Act. It will be for the personal pensions providers themselves to sell their products.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Invalid Care Allowance on 6th April 1987.
Mr. Freud Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the highest 10 payments of arrears of invalid care allowance paid by his Department in the last six months.
Mr. Major The 10 largest payments of arrears of invalid care allowance made in the last six months were each for £2,717.75.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on the Chronically Sick on 6th April 1987.
Mr. Tony Lloyd Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many cases of alleged breach by local authorities of section 2 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 are currently under investigation by his Department, how long each case has been under investigation; and when a decision will be made as to whether any of the cases currently under investigation constituted default by the local authority.
Mr. Major Six cases of alleged breach of section 2 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 are currently outstanding. In three cases investigations have been under way for seven months, in one case for one year and four months, in one case for one year and five months, and in one case for two years and seven months. Decisions as to whether any of the cases constitute default by local authority will be made as soon as possible.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Energy Saving on 6th April 1987.
Mr. Patrick Thompson Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what arrangements he has made to ensure his free-phone DHSS service can promote the work of local neighbourhood energy action projects by way of local referrals;
(2) what plans he has to ensure that those claiming severe weather payments can also claim single payments for draught-proofing where the work can be done by local neighbourhood energy action groups.
Mr. Major [pursuant to his reply, 4 March 1987, c. 624–25]: People who ring the Department’s free-phone service are informed of the availability of single payments for draught-proofing materials where appropriate. In addition two leaflets (SB16 and SB17) refer to the availability of such single payments. One of these, entitled “Help with Heating Costs” specifically mentions the work of voluntary organisations in this area.
Whilst there are at present no special arrangements to promote the work of local neighbourhood energy action groups, officials are, in consultation with national charities looking at what might be done in this respect.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on the Attendance Allowance on 6th April 1987.
Mr. Colvin Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his policy concerning the availability of attendance allowance for people using self-care renal dialysis units in hospital.
Mr. Major I am pleased to announce that we intend to make attendance allowance available to people using self-care dialysis units on hospital sites on the same basis as is available to those who dialyse at home.
At present there are only a small number of such self-care units, in hospitals in the Wessex Region, where they are perceived to be an acceptable and economical way of enabling people with kidney failure to dialyse just as they would in their own homes, with assistance from another person who is not employed by the hospital. At present these people are denied attendance allowance.
We think it is wrong that the attendance allowance regulations should inhibit what some doctors believe to be a helpful extension in the availability of renal dialysis, unforeseen when the regulations were drafted. We shall therefore bring forward an amendment to the regulations following formal consultation with the Attendance Allowance Board.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on the Death Grant on 6th April 1987.
Ms. Harman Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many death grant payments were made in the London borough of Southwark in each of the last three years; and how many of those who received the payments will be eligible for the new means tested death grant;
(2) what information he has as to what percentage of the residents of the London borough of Southwark will be eligible for the new means tested death grant.
Mr. Major I shall let the hon. Member have replies as soon as possible.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit on 6th April 1987.
Mr. Clay Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in the Official Report a table which provides the same information on supplementary benefit single payments for the same time period for each year since 1979 as that provided in his reply of 17 March to the hon. Member for Stockton, North (Mr. Cook) Official Report, columns 479-80.
Mr. Major I shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Social Security (Expenditure) on 6th April 1987.
Mr. Clay Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will provide a breakdown of the rise in real expenditure on social security between 1978–79 and 1986–87 in the same form as the table in the Government’s “Expenditure Plans 1987-88 to 1989-90” II, Cm. 56, page 248, paragraph 39.
Mr. Major Over the period 1978-79 to 1986-87 the social security programme increased by £12.5 billion (at 1986-87 prices) or by 39 per cent. in real terms. The main reasons for the increase were:
(i) £4.75 billion due to real increases in the average amounts of benefit paid (whether due to changes in the basic rate of benefit or other factors);
(ii) £2 billion due to increased numbers of retirement pensioners:
(iii) £1.75 billion due to increased numbers receiving disability benefits;
(iv) £4.25 billion due to increased numbers of unemployed people receiving benefit;
(v) £1 billion due to increased numbers of single parents receiving benefit:
(vi) £0.5 billion reflecting the increased costs of administering a larger number of claims for benefits;
offset by reductions of:
(vii) £1.25 billion reflecting the introduction of statutory sick pay and a decrease in the incidence of short term sickness;
(viii) £0.5 billion from reductions in the numbers of widows and children.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Artificial Limbs and Appliances on 3rd April 1987.
Mr. Alfred Morris Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations his Department has received from the Muscular Dystrophy Group of Great Britain and Northern Ireland concerning the Government’s decisions on the future of the services provided by artificial limb and appliance centres; what reply has been sent; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Major The Muscular Dystrophy Group of Great Britain and Northern Ireland submitted a detailed response to the McColl report on artificial limb and appliance centre services immediately following its publication. Since then, its view that the recommendation to provide dual-purpose powered wheelchairs should be implemented as a matter of urgency has been the subject of a number of letters received from local branches of the group. In addition, on 7 May 1986, my predecessor accepted a petition from Sir Richard Attenborough, the president of the group, in support of this request.
On the specific point of dual-purpose powered wheelchairs the Muscular Dystrophy Group has been advised that there are major cost considerations still to be resolved and that a final decision has not yet been made.
On the wider issue of the future of the artificial limb and appliance centre services, I refer the right hon. Member to my statement to the House on 10 March 1987 at columns 149-51.