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Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on National Insurance on 16th March 1987.

Mr. Austin Mitchell Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will provide an estimate of the loss to the national insurance fund from a reduction of one percentage point in the rate of contribution.

Mr. Major It is estimated that a reduction of one percentage point in all the class 1 rates of National Insurance contributions in 1986-87 would cost the national insurance fund in a full year £1,470 million in respect of employees’ contributions, and £1,630 million in respect of employers contributions.

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Benefits on 13th March 1987.

Dr. Godman Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many claimants received payments for additional requirements at local offices in (a) Scotland, (b) Strathclyde region and (c) Greenock and Port Glasgow in each of the past five years.

Mr. Major [pursuant to his reply, 26 February 1987, c. 396]: In 1983, 264,000 supplementary benefit claimants in Scotland were receiving an additional requirement. Source: 1983 Annual Statistical Enquiry.

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Maternity Payments on 13th March 1987.

Mr. Soley Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many women in Croydon, Central constituency received maternity allowance in the last year for which figures are available.

Mr. Major Information is not available in the form requested. In the 12 months ending April 1986, the latest year for which figures are available, 3,853 claims to maternity allowance were made at the Department’s office in Hastings (Croydon out-station) which covers Croydon, Central constituency, but this total includes claims proper to other offices.

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Disabled People on 13th March 1987.

Mr. Allen McKay Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will make available sufficient funding to local authorities to enable them to carry out assessment of needs which will then allow the implementation of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986;
(2) what steps he has taken to resolve the delay in the implementation of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986, particularly sections 5 and 6.

Mr. Major I met the local authority associations on 24 February to discuss implementation of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986. The associations have drawn attention to resource implications of certain provisions of the Act covering the assessment of the needs of a disabled person, namely sections 3, 5, 6 and 7. We discussed at the meeting how best to proceed towards implementation of the Act and agreed to review progress at a further meeting in May.

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Severe Weather Payments on 13th March 1987.

Mr. Cartwright Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many applications for severe weather payments have so far been (a) received and (b) paid by his Department’s Woolwich office.

Mr. Major The number of applications for exceptionally cold weather payments is not recorded by individual local offices. However, up to 3 March 1987 the Department’s Woolwich office had made about 4,200 £5 payments.

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit on 12th March 1987.

Mr. Corbett Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether those Commonwealth citizens required to register citizenship under the Nationality Act 1981 by 31 December who are in receipt of supplementary benefit can be given a single payment to cover the £60 registration fee.

Mr. Major There is no provision in the supplementary benefit regulations for single payments to be made for Home Office citizenship fees. Supplementary benefit is intended to cover necessary living expenses, not the cost of acquiring the rights of citizenship.

Mr. Frank Field Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will make a statement on changes to regulations in the position of young people leaving school at Easter who claim supplementary benefit;
(2) when he will publish new regulations governing the position of young people leaving school this Easter who wish to claim supplementary benefit.

Mr. Major I have considered the report of the Social Security Advisory Committee on the Government’s proposals for regulations to restore our policy that young people who are entered for examinations when they leave school should be treated as remaining in relevant education until they have completed those examinations. I expect to lay regulations before the House very shortly.

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on National Insurance on 12th March 1987.

Mr. Austin Mitchell Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate (i) the revenue effect to the National Insurance Fund of abolition of the upper earnings limit and (ii) the loss to the fund of counting personal allowances for income tax purposes against the employee’s liability to contributions.

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 Population Statistics on 12th March 1987.

Mr. Meacher Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate for the years 1987, 2007 and (a) the number of people in the working population, (b) the number of people in the retired population, (c) the average gross income from employment per member of the working population and (d) the average gross income from pensions per member of the retired population, subdivided between state pensions, occupational pensions and lump sums from occupational pension schemes, with money expressed at 1987 prices and the figures for 2007 and 2027 assuming rates of growth of (i) 1 per cent. per year and (ii) 3 per cent. per year and the impact of personal pensions ignored.

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 Pensioners (Income) on 12th March 1987.

Mr. Meacher Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will indicate on what basis he calculates that the average weekly net income of pensioners rose by 18 per cent. in real terms during 1979 to 1985.

Mr. Major Figures obtained from the family expenditure survey and adjusted to 1985 prices show that pensioners’ average weekly net income from all sources was £70.60 in 1979 and £83.10 in 1985, giving a real terms increase of 18 per cent. over the period.

(Note – Figures are for pensioner tax units, that is either single pensioners or married couples where the husband is over 65.)

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Draught-Proofing Grants on 11th March 1987.

Mr. Patrick Thompson Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what plans he has to ensure local authority tenants are fully aware of the single payments for draught-proofing currently provided by his Department.

Mr. Major Publicity for these payments is not specifically targeted on local authority tenants. Single payments for draught-proofing materials are referred to in two leaflets produced by the Department, and callers to the Department’s freephone service are informed of their availability where appropriate. The Monergy hotline and freepost services, through which callers are referred to “Neighbourhood Energy Action”, have also been widely advertised by the Department of Energy.