The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

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  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Single Payments – 14 July 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Single Payments on 14th July 1986.

    Mr. Gordon Brown Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list by area offices the numbers claiming single payments on 2 July in Scotland.

    Mr. Major On 2 July a special count was made of the number of people whose single payment claims were being processed in local offices in Scotland. The information then obtained is set out in the following table:
    Number of people whose single payment claims were being processed

    Office | Number

    Aberdeen North | 377
    Aberdeen South | 261
    Airdrie | 2,749
    Arbroath | 128
    Ayr | 3,962
    Bellshill | 2,468
    Bathgate | 2,642
    Campbeltown | 26
    Clydebank | 1,594
    Coatbridge | 2,650
    Cowdenbeath | 288
    Cumbernauld | 2,375
    Dumbarton | 547
    Dumfries | 254
    Dundee East | 568
    Dundee West | 850
    Dunfermline | 609
    East Kilbride | 1,885
    Edinburgh (City) | 1,807
    Edinburgh (East) | 3,089
    Edinburgh (North) | 2,395
    Edinburgh (South) | 2,376
    Edinburgh (West) | 2,536
    Elgin | 145
    Falkirk | 552
    Fort William | 82
    Galashiels | 185
    Glasgow (Anniesland) | 1,302
    Glasgow (Bridgeton) | 435
    Glasgow (City) | 931
    Glasgow (Craigton) | 1,018
    Glasgow (Cranstonhill) | 101
    Glasgow (Dalmarnock) | 549
    Glasgow (Laurieston) | 2,951
    Glasgow (Maryhill) | 427
    Glasgow (Parkhead) | 922
    Glasgow (Partick) | 1,563
    Glasgow (Provan) | 5,822
    Glasgow (Rutherglen) | 5,477
    Glasgow (South Side) | 3,733
    Glasgow (Springburn) | 931
    Greenock | 850
    Hamilton | 1,133
    Inverness | 499
    Irvine | 4,068
    Johnstone | 776
    Kilmarnock | 2,161
    Kirkcaldy | 1,091
    Lerwick | 9
    Leven | 311
    Motherwell | 4,009
    Oban | 73
    Paisley | 4,196
    Perth | 265
    Peterhead | 258
    Port Glasgow | 1,590
    Stirling | 810
    Stornoway | 73
    Stranraer | 48
    Wick | 66

    Total | 85,848

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Far East Prisoners of War – 14 July 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Far East Prisoners of War on 14th July 1986.

    Mr. Woodall Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps are taken to publicise the facilities available to surviving prisoners of war of the Japanese regarding degenerative and psychological illnesses and parasite infestation arising from the circumstances of their captivity; what investigations have been commissioned by his Department into the incidence of such conditions amongst these people; and if he will make a statement on the levels revealed.

    Mr. Major The Department provides facilities for former far east prisoners of war to be medically investigated so that any residual illness resulting from their imprisonment can be identified and treated. These arrangements have been brought to the attention of hospital medical and administrative staff and general practitioners. Information will also be included in a new leaflet on war pensions to be published shortly. Any individual former FEPOW who is known to the Department through the war pensions scheme is encouraged to undergo an investigation. The National Federation of Far East Prisoners of War Clubs and Associations also publicises the facilities to its members and on occasions through the media. We are considering other means of making the arrangements more widely known.

    The Department has commissioned one study of the health of former FEPOWs. The report, entitled “A study of the Post-Captivity Health of Ex-Prisoners of War of the Japanese”, was produced in February 1985 and a copy is being placed in the Library. In the absence of a similar study of morbidity in the British male population valid comparisons are not possible. With that proviso, the report concludes that the level of degenerative conditions among ex-FEPOWs did not appear to be significantly different from that in the general population. There appeared to be a higher incidence of psychiatric manifestations. Only one type of parasitic infestation, strongyloidiasis, was identified. This is a worm infestation which can be effectively treated.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Rate and Rent Rebates – 14 July 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Rate and Rent Rebates on 14th July 1986.

    Mr. John Fraser Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what payments were made by his Department to Lambeth council for rate rebates, rent allowances and rent rebates in 1985-86; and what are his latest estimates of the amounts to be paid in the year 1986-87.

    Mr. Major Payments on account made by the Department to Lambeth borough council for benefits granted under the housing benefit scheme in 1985-86 and estimated payments to be made in the year 1986-87 are:

    Type : 1985-86 (in £ million) | 1986-87 (in £ million)
    Rent rebates | 17.5 | 18
    Rent allowances | 12 | 12.5
    Rate rebates | 18 | 18

    These figures are based on the council’s estimated expenditure and are subject to revision following submission of a final claim by the authority.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Visiting Officers (Waiting Time) – 10 July 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Visiting Officers (Waiting Time) on 10th July 1986.

    Mr. Craigen Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the normal waiting time for claimants awaiting his Department’s visiting officers; and what was the comparable figure in 1983-84.

    Mr. Major On average it takes 10 days from the time when a case has been referred to a visiting officer of LO I grade until action following the visit has been completed. This is the same as in 1983-84. LO II grade officers, who handle a larger proportion of routine visits, take an average of 23 days to complete action on a visit, compared with 17 days in 1983-84.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Housing Benefit – 10 July 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Housing Benefit on 10th July 1986.

    Mr. Raynsford Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, pursuant to the reply to the hon. Member for Coventry, South-East of 25 June, Official Report, columns 209-10, which of the objectives for the revised housing benefit subsidy arrangements were considered by his Department not to be met by the proposal to restrict direct subsidy to 80 per cent. of benefit expenditure.

    Mr. Major As I explained in my reply to the hon. Member for Coventry, South-East (Mr. Nellist), the proposal to include 20 per cent. of benefit costs in the rate support grant arrangements did not meet our objectives of providing an adequate incentive for authorities to control costs and a fair level of support for expenditure they properly incur.

    Mr. Alton Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will list in the Official Report a borough breakdown of moneys paid to landlords on behalf of public and private tenants in housing benefit during 1985-86; and if he will make a statement;
    (2) what is the highest individual weekly sum currently paid to a landlord in housing benefit;
    (3) what percentage of the sum paid in housing benefit during 1985-86 was paid to private landlords;
    (4) how many domestic hereditaments owned by private landlords house tenants in receipt of housing benefits.

    Mr. Major We do not collect information on direct payments of housing benefit to landlords, or on the number of dwellings owned by private landlords which are occupied by tenants in receipt of housing benefit. In 1985-86, an estimated £780 million was paid in rent allowances (including those paid direct to the landlord, but excluding in all cases any expenditure classified as rate rebates) for around 1.2 million private tenants. This represented about 17 per cent. of total housing benefit expenditure.

    Mr. Alton Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he intends to send a reply to the letter of the hon. Member for Liverpool, Mossley Hill, of 15 May on housing benefit and to which he said on 2 July, Official Report, column 1040, he had signed a reply.

    Mr. Major I have written to the hon. Member.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Low Income Families – 10 July 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Low Income Families on 10th July 1986.

    Mr. Squire Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he plans to publish the 1983 low income families tables.

    Mr. Major I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Kensington (Sir B. Rhys Williams) on 8 July.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Retirement Pensions – 10 July 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Retirement Pensions on 10th July 1986.

    Mr. Andrew Bowden Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what estimate he has of the additional annual cost of paying the level of retirement pension’ payable in the United Kingdom to British retirement and widowed pensioners aged 75 years and over living in all those territories not covered by a reciprocal agreement with the United Kingdom.

    Mr. Major The additional cost of paying pensions at today’s rates for a full year to all British retirement and widowed pensioners aged 75 years and over living in countries with which the United Kingdom does not have a reciprocal agreement providing for pension increases is estimated to be approximately £46.4 million.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Captain Balnave – 9 July 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Captain Balnave on 9th July 1986.

    Mr. Hancock Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when his Department will expedite the payment to Captain Balnave of 23 Malvern Road, Southsea, Portsmouth, awarded to him on appeal.

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

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on War Pensions – 8 July 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on War Pensions on 8th July 1986.

    Mr. Ashley Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services in what way, and for how long, the war pensions are affected of a person in receipt of (a) a war disability and (b) war retirement pension, who is sent to prison.

    Mr. Major Payments of war disablement pension are normally suspended during imprisonment following conviction. If the war pensioner is married, half the basic pension plus the dependency allowance is normally paid to his wife. On release the pension is usually restored and arrears of one year’s basic pension (or arrears for the period of imprisonment if less than a year) are paid, less any amount paid to his wife during the arrears period.

    I assume that by “war retirement pension” the right hon. Member has in mind service pensions and service retired pay. These are not part of the war pensions provisions, but are matters for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence. I understand that his normal practice is to allow pensioners to retain these pensions during imprisonment.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Staff (Birkenhead) – 8 July 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Staff (Birkenhead) on 8th July 1986.

    Mr. Frank Field Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the number of staff in each of the Birkenhead offices of his Department; if he will distinguish between the complement of staff allowed and the number of staff actually in post; and if he will make a statement on what changes he plans in the size of the staff over the coming year.

    Mr. Major The number of staff allocated, and the number of staff in post, on 1 July 1986 for each of the Birkenhead offices is as follows: (ILO = Integrated Local Office]

    Office | Staff Allocation | Staff in Post
    Birkenhead (North) ILO | 202 | *191
    Birkenhead (South) ILO | 126 | 126.5

    * 200 anticipated by 1st August.
    There are no current plans to change the number of staff allocated to these offices over the coming year.