Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Battery-Powered Wheelchairs on 10th February 1987.
Mr. Flannery Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has yet decided on a date to make public his decisions regarding the recommendations of the McColl committee on dual purpose battery-powered wheelchairs.
Mr. Major I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the right hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, South (Mr. Ashley) on 29 January 1987.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Board and Lodging Regulations on 10th February 1987.
Ms. Clare Short Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will now abolish the time limits imposed on under 26-year-olds in the board and lodging regulations; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Major These limits were introduced to contain escalating expenditure and curb abuse. We have published a consultative document proposing a simpler, more coherent system for payments to boarders while tackling effectively the problems of incentives and maintaining proper financial controls. These proposals could not be introduced before the new income support scheme in April 1988.
Mr. Caborn Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services in how many cases the time limits imposed by the board and lodging regulations were waived because of the severe weather.
Mr. Major A wide range of factors is taken into account in exercising the discretionary power to exempt individuals from the time limits. Severe weather was put forward as a reason for exemption in only one case which was subsequently successful.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Severe Weather Payments on 10th February 1987.
Mr. Geraint Howells Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is satisfied with the present form of the exceptionally severe weather payments system; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Major Yes. The new arrangements are a significant improvement on previous schemes for exceptionally severe weather payments, in terms of simplicity, comprehensibility and certainty of payment. From 26 January we have changed the qualifying temperature from minus 1.5 deg C to 0 deg C over a fixed seven-day period. Under the revised arrangement help for vulnerable groups during exceptionally cold weather can be expected to be given more often than under any previous system. The review now provides the most generous system ever for helping vulnerable groups during exceptionally cold weather.
Ms. Richardson Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average time before payment of the severe weather allowance, once payment has been triggered for a given area.
Mr. Major Information on clearance times for exceptionally cold weather claims is not available.
However, local offices have been instructed to give priority to cold weather payments and to deal with claims immediately on receipt.
Mr. Rogers Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services in how many of the chosen weather stations the severe weather payments trigger temperature of minus 1.5 deg C was achieved in the weeks 5 to 11 January and 12 January to 18 January.
Mr. Major In the week 5 to 11 January, one weather station achieved the trigger temperature of minus 1.5 deg C. In the week 12 to 18 January, 48 weather stations achieved that temperature.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Pensioners on 10th February 1987.
Mr. Adley Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services by how many the total number of pensioners eligible for state pension has changed since 1979; and what this change represents as a percentage of the total cost of the state pension.
Mr. Major There are about 1 million more retirement pensioners now than in November 1978. This increase accounts for nearly 11 per cent. of total spending on state retirement pension in the current financial year.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Disabled People on 10th February 1987.
Mr. Alfred Morris Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on progress on the implementation of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986.
Mr. Major We hope to be able to implement sections 4, 8, 9 and 10 of the Act by next April and section 11 during the course of 1987. We are discussing with the local authority associations how to implement those provisions of the Act, including sections 5 and 6, which have significant resource implications. At present I am unable to give any indication when these can be implemented.
Mr. Crowther Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will increase the number of registered disabled persons employed in his Department in order to meet the quota provided for in the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944, as amended by the 1958 Act.
Mr. Major Although the Act is not binding on the Crown, successive Governments have undertaken to accept the same responsibilities as other employers. There are 1,235 registered disabled staff in the Department. In addition there is an unknown number of disabled staff who have not registered. We would welcome more applications from disabled persons for employment in the Department and we shall continue to facilitate recruitment of registered disabled people. Those who apply for clerical posts without the prescribed education qualifications can take a written test instead. Special arrangements are made for disabled people to attend tests and interviews.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Mortgage Interest Payments on 9th February 1987.
Mr. Ron Davies Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if the new rules for mortgage payments for the unemployed will apply to job training scheme trainees who do not find employment following the end of their training; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Major The main change contained in the Supplementary Benefit (Housing Requirements and Resources) Amendment Regulations 1987 (SI 1987 No. 17) – to limit to 50 per cent. the amount included for mortgage interest in the supplementary benefit assessment of people under 60 – only applies for the first 16 weeks on benefit. Subject to any other changes in circumstances, trainees on the job training scheme will receive the same income by way of training allowance and supplementary benefit while on the course as they received previously in benefit alone. Those who do not find work after training and whose circumstances are unchanged will normally get the same rate of benefit that they received before starting the course.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Draught-Proofing on 9th February 1987.
Dr. David Clark Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many representations he has received and from whom, on the subject of the abolition of single payments for draught-proofing.
Mr. Major A number of representations have been received from hon. Members and organisations involved in local draught-proofing schemes.
Dr. David Clark Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he plans to meet with the charity Neighbourhood Energy Action to discuss the proposals they have submitted to him on a grant to replace single payments for draught-proofing.
Mr. Major I have written to Neighbourhood Energy Action and six other organisations offering a meeting with officials in the first instance to discuss a range of issues connected with helping people keep warm in winter. I have made clear my willingness to meet the organisations after that preliminary discussion.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on the Heating Allowance on 9th February 1987.
Mr. Robert Hughes Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will now ensure that local officers of the Department of Health and Social Security publicise a weekly notice in local newspapers about whether the previous week has been a qualifying week for claiming the special £5 heating allowance.
Mr. Major Local offices have been directed to publish advertisements in their local newspapers whenever a qualifying average temperature of 0 deg C is triggered. They have done so for each week of exceptionally cold weather in their area during 1987.
Mr. McNamara Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many letters he has received from hon. Members and others about the problem of pensioners who have £500 in savings for their funeral expenses and therefore do not qualify for the £5 heating allowance.
Mr. Major Numerous letters have been received on this issue.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Severe Weather Payments on 9th February 1987.
Mr. Blair Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many persons have received exceptionally severe weather payments in the northern region over the last month in each of the categories entitled to such payments; and what was the amount of money paid to each category.
Mr. Major Information is not available in the form requested. However, statistics are being maintained on the total number of payments made, the amount of those payments and the number of refusals and will be published in due course.
Mr. Blair Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how much has been spent by his Department on advertising the availability of exceptionally severe weather payments in (a) the northern region and (b) the whole of the United Kingdom.
Mr. Major Advertisements were placed in the national press for two weeks ending on Saturday 24 January 1987 and for five days on all 45 local commercial radio stations. The total cost was £400,000. £19,971 was spent on local radio advertising in the social security north-east and north-west regions. All local offices dealing with supplementary benefit were supplied with advertisements for placing in local newspapers.
Mr. Blair Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give an estimate of the numbers of persons in the northern region in each category of those entitled to exceptionally severe weather payments.
Mr. Major The information requested is not available, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Dialysis on 9th February 1987.
Mr. Alfred Morris Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will take steps to extend attendance allowance to people undergoing dialysis in hospital but without any assistance from National Health Service staff; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Major We are currently considering this matter and I will write to the right hon. Member as soon as a decision is reached.