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Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on the Social Fund on 10th March 1987.

Mr. Fatchett Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether those appealing against a refusal of assistance from the social fund will have a right to an oral hearing; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Major Decisions on payments from the social fund for maternity and funeral expenses will be subject to the normal appeal procedures of the social security adjudication system, and claimants wishing to appeal will have a right to an oral hearing by a social security appeal tribunal. Those who are dissatisfied with decisions about other payments from the fund will have a right of review, in the first instance by local management, and will be given the opportunity at that stage of an interview at which to discuss their case.

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Disabled Persons (Single Payments) on 10th March 1987.

Mr. Litherland Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has any plans to increase the assistance from single payments for furniture for disabled persons being resettled in the community.

Mr. Major We have no plans to make changes to the single payments furniture rules which already contain special protection for supplementary benefit claimants who are chronically sick or mentally or physically disabled.

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Mortgage Interest Payments on 10th March 1987.

Mrs. Beckett Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he intends to amend the regulations which restrict payment of mortgage interest in the first weeks of unemployment; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Major We are proposing to amend the regulation, which provides for a disregard in supplementary benefit assessments on income received from an insurance policy taken out to protect mortgage interest repayments. Our intention was that one half of any such income should be disregarded, but, as drafted, the regulation provides for the disregard of an amount equivalent to the full interest. This amendment will be included in the uprating regulation for the supplementary benefit residential care and nursing homes limits. We have no plans to make any further changes to the regulations covering the amount of mortgage interest included in supplementary benefit.

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Disabled People on 10th March 1987.

Mr. Wigley Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will now state the outcome of the discussions he has held with bodies representing local authorities with regard to the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986, and the Government’s latest timetable for the full implementation of the Act.

Mr. Major I met the local authority associations on 24 February to discuss implementation of the Act. At the meeting it was agreed that sections 9 and 10 will be brought into effect on 1 April. The local authority associations expressed concern about the possible resource implications of sections 4 and 8, and I shall be writing to them shortly about that. I hope that it will be possible to implement those sections too on 1 April. We also expect to implement section 11 during 1987.

The resource implications of sections 5 and 6 of the Act, which cover disabled school-leavers, were also discussed at the meeting with the associations. It was agreed that urgent discussions between officials from the associations and the Department should take place to estimate those resource implications more accurately with a view to a further meeting between the associations and myself in May.

It was also agreed that there should be discussions at official level to make more realistic estimates of the costs of sections 3 and 7 of the Act and that progress in these discussions will he reviewed at the meeting in May.

It is not possible to announce a timetable for full implementation of the Act. The discussions. that are proceeding at official level with the local authority associations will enable us to estimate more precisely the resource implications of the various sections of the Act. This should help to make progress towards establishing such a timetable.

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on the Social Fund on 10th March 1987.

Mr. Ron Brown Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether each local office will have a budget for the social fund; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Major We intend to issue separate budgets to individual local social security offices for social fund payments (other than those for maternity and funeral expenses). Decisions on the size of such budgets, and of the fund as a whole, will be taken nearer the time of the fund’s full introduction in April 1988.

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Unisex Annuities on 10th March 1987.

Mr. Watts Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations he has received about the proposed requirement for unisex annuities.

Mr. Major We published draft regulations on 17 December 1986 which included a requirement on insurers to offer men and women on equal terms the annuities that will correspond to the state additional pension for people with personal or money purchase occupational pensions. Comments on this proposal range from strong support to equally strong criticism.

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Over-80s (Pension) on 10th March 1987.

Mr. David Atkinson Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has any plans to seek to bring the over- 80s into the state retirement pension scheme.

Mr. Major People aged over 80 are not excluded from the state retirement pension scheme. Contributory pensions are payable for life, and non-contributory pensions are payable to those people over 80 who either have no entitlement to a contributory pension or whose rate of pension is below the level of the over-80s non-contributory pension. Eligibility for this non-contributory benefit is based on a residence test. There are no plans to alter these arrangements.

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Severe Weather Payments on 10th March 1987.

Mr. Andrew Bowden Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he proposes to make any further changes regarding payment of the severe weather heating allowance; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Major I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to my hon. Friend the Member for Eastleigh (Sir D. Price) on 3 February at column 557.

Mr. Flannery Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many applications for the extra heating allowance for cold weather have been received; and how many people have received payment.

Mr. Major I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Midlothian (Mr. Eadie) and the hon. Member for Thurrock (Dr. McDonald) earlier today.

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Pensioners (Income) on 10th March 1987.

Mr. Wood Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the change in pensioners’ average income over the period 1979 to 1985; and how this compares with that from 1974 to 1979.

Mr. Major I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for High Peak (Mr. Hawkins) on 2 March at column 497.