The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

Author: admin

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Pensions – 4 July 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Pensions on 4th July 1986.

    Mr. Kirkwood Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the additional full-year costs of advancing the date of qualification for retirement pension to the beginning of the week within which the qualifying birthday falls.

    Mr. Major To advance the date of qualification for state retirement pension in this way would entail paying pensions for periods for which no entitlement exists, because the qualifying birthday is the minimum age at which state retirement pension becomes payable. The gross full year cost would be in the order of £20 million on the benefit rates applicable from July 1986.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit – 4 July 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit on 4th July 1986.

    Mr. Kirkwood Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the number of supplementary benefit claimants, and the value of the claims, for claimants (a) under 26 years and (b) 26 years and over in receipt of the no fixed abode allowance for 1981, and in each subsequent year to the latest convenient date.

    Mr. Major Separate statistical information on this subject is not maintained and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, our monitoring of the impact of the 1985 boarder changes does not show any evidence of general increases in homelessness among young people attributable to those changes.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Friendly Societies (Personal Pensions) – 1 July 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Friendly Societies (Personal Pensions) on 1st July 1986.

    Mr. Higgins Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether it is his intention to seek to restrict friendly societies from writing personal pension business.

    Mr. Major In principle, we see no reason to prevent registered friendly societies from providing personal pensions contracted-out from the state earnings-related pension scheme, provided that the schemes they offer meet the investor protection standards which will apply to all such schemes.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Departmental Telephone Calls – 1 July 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Departmental Telephone Calls on 1st July 1986.

    Mr. Heddle Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what arrangements he proposes to make to ensure that members of the public who telephone his Department’s office at 4-10 Regency Street, London SW1, will in future receive a prompt and efficient response.

    Mr. Major Complaints have been made recently about the telephone service at the Regency Street office. Management have investigated and found faults on the switchboard. British Telecom has undertaken the necessary repairs and a normal, satisfactory service has now been restored.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Child Benefit – 1 July 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Child Benefit on 1st July 1986.

    Mr. Ralph Howell Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will state the total number of families receiving child benefit at the present time and in 1979, respectively.

    Mr. Major On 4 June 1986, 6.85 million families were receiving child benefit. The comparable figure for 31 May 1979 was 7.23 million.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit – 1 July 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit on 1st July 1986.

    Mr. Pike Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people were in receipt of supplementary benefit in (a) the north-west region and (b) Burnley in 1979 and each subsequent year.

    Mr. Major North-western region was formed in 1983 by the amalgamation of the former north-west (Manchester) and north-west (Merseyside) regions with parts of the former northern region. The table shows the number of people receiving supplementary benefit in (a) Burnley and (b) those offices which now form northwestern region.

    Figures given show the position at 6 May 1986, the latest available, and at comparable dates for each of the years since 1979.

    Year | Burnley | Region

    1979 | 10,239 | 454,955
    1980 | 10,156 | 458,474
    1981 | 11,984 | 534,489
    1982 | 14,345 | 628,573
    1983 | 15,351 | 672,937
    1984 | 16,167 | 713,229
    1985 | 17,062 | 745,329
    1986 | 16,579 | 762,492

    Source: 100 per cent. count of cases in action.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Housing Benefit – 1 July 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Housing Benefit on 1st July 1986.

    Mr. Freeson Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish the housing benefit returns for each of the past three years for the London boroughs of Brent, Barnet and Camden.

    Mr. Major On the basis of information provided by the London boroughs of Brent, Barnet and Camden in connection with their subsidy claims, it is estimated that the average number of recipients of rent rebate, rent allowance and rate rebates is:

    Benefit | 1984-85 | 1985-86 | 1986-87

    Brent
    Rent rebates | 13,500 | 13,500 | 10,200
    Rent allowances | 8,000 | 8,100 | 9,700
    Rate rebates | 39,800 | 39,900 | 33,500

    Barnet
    Rent rebates | 12,300 | 12,000 | 11,500
    Rent allowances | 7,500 | 7,700 | 7,400
    Rate rebates | 30,700 | 30,400 | 29,200

    Camden
    Rent rebates | 17,800 | 17,800 | 17,800
    Rent allowances | 9,100 | 9,800 | 9,600
    Rate rebates | 29,500 | 30,400 | 30,000

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Single Payments – 1 July 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Single Payments on 1st July 1986.

    Mr. Barnett Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the current average length of time for a decision on an application for a single payment.

    Mr. Major I regret that this information is not available. However, claims for single payments are determined as soon as possible after all the information required has been collected, urgent claims being given priority.

    Mr. Austin Mitchell Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many Department of Health and Social Security single payments were made in Lincolnshire in 1984 and 1985.

    Mr. Major Six local offices serve Lincolnshire but their boundaries are not conterminous with that of the county. The single payments they made during years ended early in April are shown in the following table:

    Office | 1984-85 | *1985-86

    Boston | 2,641 | 3,944
    Grantham | 2,753 | 4,536
    Lincoln (Newland) | 4,902 | 6,931
    Lincoln (Orchard Street) | 8,944 | 13,254
    Skegness | 1,155 | 1,619
    Grimsby | 11,375 | 14,871
    Totals | 31,770 | 45,155

    * Provisional figures.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Housing Benefit – 1 July 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Housing Benefit on 1st July 1986.

    Mr. Raynsford Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate (a) the number of recipients of housing benefit who will receive less benefit than would otherwise have been their entitlement as a result of the Government’s decision to change the basis for uprating the needs allowance in July and (b) the saving which Her Majesty’s Government will make in a full year as a result.

    Mr. Major I refer the hon. Member to my reply to him on 12 May at column 381. I have also written to him about the detailed points he raised in the debate on the uprating orders on 11 June, at columns 361-65.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Benefits Claimants – 1 July 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Benefits Claimants on 1st July 1986.

    Mr. Nicholls Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is satisfied with the operation of section 5(1) (a) and (b) of the Supplementary Benefits Act 1976 concerning availability of benefit claimants for work; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr. Major The term “available for employment” contained in section 5 of the Supplementary Benefits Act 1976 has the same meaning as for unemployment benefit purposes. It is the responsibility of Department of Employment to test the availability of unemployed claimants for both benefits when new claims are made. In addition, those drawing benefits sign a declaration regularly that they remain available for work. The present availability test has been the subject of criticism by the Public Accounts Committee and other evidence which casts doubt on its adequacy comes from the labour force survey. As a result, the Department of Employment in conjunction with the DHSS has reviewed the arrangements and a pilot exercise of a strengthened availability test started on 16 June in 12 unemployment benefit offices.