The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

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  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on the Board and Lodging Allowance – 12 December 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on the Board and Lodging Allowance on 12th December 1986.

    Mr. Conlan Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people in Gateshead, living as board and lodgers, have had their supplementary benefits reduced under the board and lodging supplementary regulations since the passage of these regulations.

    Mr. Major The Department’s local offices do not keep separate statistics on the number of people living in board and lodging, nor do they identify those who have had their supplementary benefit reduced under the Supplementary Benefit (Requirements and Resources) Miscellaneous Provisions Regulations 1985.

    This information is not therefore readily available and could be obtained only by a special exercise which would be disproportionately costly.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on the Maternity Grant – 12 December 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on the Maternity Grant on 12th December 1986.

    Ms. Richardson Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give the precise sum to be paid to mothers eligible for the means-tested maternity grant to be introduced on 6 April 1987; and if he will give details of the information published by his Department which informs women about this new benefit and how to claim.

    Mr. Major I expect to make an announcement shortly.

    Mr. Clay Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the net annual cost of increasing the maternity grant to £165.

    Mr. Major The gross annual cost of increasing maternity grant to £165 would be about £95 million. There would be a consequent saving on supplementary benefit expenditure for single payments for maternity needs. In 1984, the latest year for which records are available, these payments amounted to nearly £13 million.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Invalid Care Allowance – 17 December 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Invalid Care Allowance on 17th December 1986.

    Mr. Anderson Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average waiting time from the date of application for invalid care allowance; how many claimants are still waiting to be dealt with; and what steps he is taking to reduce this period.

    Mr. Major As at 5 December, the latest date for which information is available, about 75,000 claims are awaiting decision. Most of these claims are held up by the need to make inquiries of a variety of sources, including the claimants themselves, to obtain further information. The average time taken to process a claim is currently 22.5 weeks. We are taking all practical steps to reduce this period.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Benefits (Costs) – 10 December 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Benefits (Costs) on 10th December 1986.

    Mr. Meacher Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how much of the additional £1.7 billion allocated to social security expenditure for 1987-88 in autumn statement was in respect of the estimated cost of (a) real increases in benefit rates, (b) increase in number of retirement pensioners, (c) increase in number of unemployed people claiming benefit, (d) increase in number of people claiming because of long term sickness disability, (e) increase in the number of single parents claiming benefit, (f) increased cost of administering a larger number of claims specifying how much is due to the expected increase in the number of staff, (g) increased cost of implementing the Social Security Act specifying how much is in respect of (i) replacement staff to enable permanent staff to be trained in the changes and (ii) extra staff costs in respect of conversion to income support and (h) other factors.

    Mr. Major A detailed explanation of the changes to the programme will be published in the 1987 Public Expenditure White Paper in the normal way.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Disabled People – 10 December 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Disabled People on 10th December 1986.

    Mr. Alfred Morris Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what further representations his Department has received from the chairman of the Social Services Committee of the Association of Metropolitan Authorities about implementation of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986; what reply he is sending; what action he is taking; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr. Major I received a letter dated 24 November from the chairman of the social services committee of the Association of Metropolitan Authorities asking for an early meeting to discuss the implementation of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986. I have replied today agreeing that such a meeting would be useful when officials from the Department have met officials from the local authority associations to clarify some outstanding issues on the costing of the various provisions of the Act, and indicating that I would be asking my office to make the necessary arrangements.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on “Handicapped and Impaired in Great Britain” – 9 December 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on “Handicapped and Impaired in Great Britain” on 9th December 1986.

    Mr. Gareth Wardell Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if his Department has any plans to update the 1968-69 survey carried out by Amelia Harris, “Handicapped and Impaired in Great Britain”.

    Mr. Major My right hon. Friend announced on 2 April 1984 that there was to be a new survey of the extent of disablement in the population of Great Britain. As in 1968-69, this is being carried out by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys. The survey forms part of the Government’s strategy on the reform of social security benefits as illustrated by the references to benefits for disabled people, in volumes 1 to 3 of the Green Paper “Reform of Social Security” (Cmnd. 5917-9).

    Interviews in relation to a nationally representative sample of children and adults with significant disabilities living in private households were completed last year. Interviews in relation to a representative sample of adults in communal establishments are almost complete and the possibility of extending this to disabled children permanently resident in institutions is under consideration. Publication of the full results of the survey is expected in 1988.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on the Mobility Allowance – 9 December 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on the Mobility Allowance on 9th December 1986.

    Mr. Kirkwood Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will extend the eligibility rules for mobility allowance to enable those over 75 years of age to qualify on the grounds that payment would enable them to continue living in their own home.

    Mr. Major I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Caernarfon (Mr. Wigley) on 25 November at column 288.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Low Income Families – 8 December 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Low Income Families on 8th December 1986.

    Mr. Frank Field Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will retabulate the data on low-income families given in the answer of 25 July on a male-female basis according to the following age groups: under pension age, less than 20, 20 to 29, 30 to 44 and 45 plus years; and over pension age, 60 to 64, 65 to 69, 70 to 79 and 80 plus years.

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

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on the Invalid Care Allowance – 8 December 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on the Invalid Care Allowance on 8th December 1986.

    Mr. Wareing Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has any plans to extend the deadline for the submission of applications by married women for invalid care allowance; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr. Major I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field) on 4 December at column 735.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Severe Weather Payments – 8 December 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Severe Weather Payments on 8th December 1986.

    Mr. Cohen Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people received severe weather additions in Leyton and Leytonstone last winter; and how many people will be eligible for such payments at the appropriate temperature under the new arrangements.

    Mr. Major The London boroughs of Leyton and Leytonstone are dealt with by the Department’s office at Lemna Road, Leytonstone. This office made a total of 432 payments for extra fuel consumed during the period of exceptionally severe weather last winter.

    Information about the number of people in the area who would be eligible under the proposed new criteria is not available, since it would depend, among other things, on claimants’ capital holdings at the date of claim.