The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

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  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Blind and Partially Sighted People – 21 January 1987

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Blind and Partially Sighted People on 21st January 1987.

    Mr. Carter-Jones Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has any proposals for action following a submission sent to his Department by the Royal National Institute for the Blind on 17 July 1986 recommending improvements in registration procedures for blind and partially-sighted people.

    Mr. Major I cannot yet add to my reply to the hon. Member on 12 December 1986, at columns 293–94.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Retirement Pensioners – 20 January 1987

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Retirement Pensioners on 20th January 1987.

    Sir David Price Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many retirement pensioners were of the age of 80 years and above at the latest date for which figures are available.

    Mr. Major About 1.8 million at March 1986.

    Sir David Price Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what would be the current rate of supplement to the basic rate of retirement pension for those aged 80 years and above if that supplement had been indexed to the cost of living since its introduction in 1971.

    Mr. Major If the age addition of 25 pence had been increased in line with the increase in the retail price index since its introduction in September 1971, it would have risen to £1.15 in July 1986.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Heating Additions – 20 January 1987

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Heating Additions on 20th January 1987.

    Mr. Wilson Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people in 1984 were in receipt of a heating addition in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales; and what was the total expenditure in each country on heating additions.

    Mr. Major The total expenditure in each country on heating additions is not available but it is estimated that total expenditure in Great Britain in 1984-85 was approximately £400 million. I shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible on the number of people in receipt of a heating addition in each country.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Severe Weather Payments – 20 January 1987

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Severe Weather Payments on 20th January 1987.

    Mr. Meacher Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give (a) the daily mean temperature and (b) the weekly mean temperature for each of the weather stations used for calculating severe weather payments for the week 12 January to 18 January.

    Mr. Major I shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

    Mr. Wilson Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many severe weather payments were made in 1986 in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales; what was the total amount involved in each country; and what was the average individual payment in each country.

    Mr. Major Final returns showing the number and cost of severe weather payments made in 1986 are still awaited from a few local offices in England and Scotland. The latest information available is as follows:

    Country | Number of payments | Amount paid in £ | Average payment £

    England | 333,076 | 8,622,037 | 25.89
    Scotland | 84,181 | 1,926,689 | 22.89
    Wales (1) | 38,769 | 1,039,294 | 26.81

    (1) Final figures.

    Final figures for England and Scotland may not be available for some weeks, but it is unlikely that they will be substantially different from those given in the table.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on the Communications Aids Centre – 20 January 1987

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on the Communications Aids Centre on 20th January 1987.

    Miss Boothroyd Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he intends to continue the partial funding of the communications aids centre in West Bromwich; and whether he will make a statement.

    Mr. Major Central funding for the West Bromwich (Sandwell) communications aids centre was made available by the Department and the Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation on a pump-priming basis only, for the five-year period 1 April 1982 to 31 March 1987. It was a condition for receiving funding that Sandwell health authority would take over full funding with effect from 1 April 1987.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Food (Expenditure) – 19 January 1987

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Food (Expenditure) on 19th January 1987.

    Mr. Meacher Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the data base used by his Department to determine the average expenditures on food, referred to in clause 4736 of “Guidelines for SBO’s and Procedural Instructions – Supplementary Benefits” (‘S’ Manual), in the calculation of the extra costs of special diets.

    Mr. Major These figures are provided by the chief adjudication officer as part of his guidance to the independent adjudication officers. The amounts were originally derived from the 1979 family expenditure survey and have subsequently been increased in line with the food element of the retail price index. They were last increased in November 1985.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Board and Lodging – 19 January 1987

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Board and Lodging on 19th January 1987.

    Mr. Austin Mitchell Asked the Secretary of Slate for Social Services if he has any proposals for relaxing the restrictions on bed and breakfast accommodation and lodging allowances for the duration of the present cold spell.

    Mr. Major There is already an extensive list of exemption from the time limits on supplementary benefits board and lodging payments to protect vulnerable groups, such as the long-term sick and disabled. There is also a discretionary power to exempt in individual cases to prevent exceptional hardship.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Benefits – 19 January 1987

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Benefits on 19th January 1987.

    Mr. Meacher Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what were the average expenditures per week on food for the following supplementary benefits claimants: (a) an adult, (b) a person 16 to 17 years of age, (c) a child 11 to 15 years of age, and (d) a child under 11 years of age as recorded by the “Family Expenditure Survey” in 1984; and what are these average expenditures, adjusted for inflation in 1985 and 1986.

    Mr. Major I regret that the information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Hearing Aids – 16 January 1987

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Hearing Aids on 16th January 1987.

    Mr. Pavitt Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services why there is a shortage of supplies in hearing aid centres of National Health Service aids in the BE30’s range; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr. Major [pursuant to his reply, 13 January 1987]: I understand that there is no shortage of supplies of the BE30’s range of hearing aids in the National Health Service. If, however, the hon. Member knows of a particular supply difficulty locally he may wish to contact the chairman of Mersey regional health authority, which has responsibility for the supply of National Health Service hearing aids.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Public Expenditure – 15 January 1987

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Public Expenditure on 15th January 1987.

    Mr. Meacher Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what estimate he now makes of the cumulative effect on public expenditure (a) in aggregate and (b) broken down by component of changes in social security each year since 1979.

    Mr. Major Information on the increase in public expenditure on social security since 1979-80 is set out in successive public expenditure White Papers. Information for 1979-80 is given in table 3.12 of “the Government’s Expenditure Plans 1986-87 to 1987-88” (Cmnd. 9428) and similar information for 1980-81 is contained in table 3.15 of “The Government’s Expenditure Plans 1986-87 to 1988-89” (Cmnd. 9702). For 1981-82 and succeeding years, the information can be found in table 3.15 of “The Government’s Expenditure Plans 1987-88 to 1989-90” (Cmnd. 56).