The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

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  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Single Payments – 12 June 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Single Payments on 12th June 1986.

    Mr. Wigley Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if women being rehoused from refuges will retain their rights to single payments for all their household needs in the regulations coming into force this summer.

    Mr. Major The proposals to change the Single Payment Regulations, which were referred to the Social Security Advisory Committee on 24 February 1986, include a revised list of individual furniture items; the introduction of miscellaneous lump-sum payment for other household needs; and revised qualifying conditions for the receipt of such payments. Neither the current nor proposed regulations make any specific reference to women being rehoused from refuges. Such women will continue to be entitled to a payment where they satisfy the conditions in the regulations.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Pensions – 12 June 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Pensions on 12th June 1986.

    Mr. Wigley Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will issue guidance to his Department’s offices requesting them to inform those pensioners whose pensions are paid quarterly into bank accounts of any changes in the rate of their pensions when they take place.

    Mr. Major The pension accounts of pensioners who have their pensions paid directly into bank accounts are maintained by the Department’s Central Pensions Branch at Newcastle which informs all such pensioners of the new rate payable about the time of every up-rating of pensions and notifies other changes in the amount payable on an individual basis when they occur.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Family Income Supplement – 12 June 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Family Income Supplement on 12th June 1986.

    Dr. McDonald Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in the Official Report the latest estimate of the number of claims for family income supplement made by (a) couples, (b) single parents and (c) all family income supplement claimants.

    Mr. Major For the 12-months period up to the end of March 1986, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 393,000 claims to family income supplement. I regret it is not possible to separate the figures for couples and single parents.

    At the same date 201,000 families were actually receiving family income supplement, 118,000 couples and 83,000 single parents.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Appeals Tribunals (Chairmen) – 12 June 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Appeals Tribunals (Chairmen) on 12th June 1986.

    Mr. Meacher Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish a list of chairmen of social security appeal tribunals and the areas in which they sit.

    Mr. Major This is a matter for the President of social security appeal tribunals, his Honour Judge Byrt, QC, and the hon. Member may care to approach him.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Benefit Fraud (Computerised Records) – 12 June 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Benefit Fraud (Computerised Records) on 12th June 1986.

    Mr. Squire Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether his Department uses computerised records in its fraud investigation section with special reference to investigation of fraud among itinerant claimants.

    Mr. Major Fraud investigators have access to all Departmental records, both manual and computerised.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Residential Homes (Elderly Residents) – 12 June 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Residential Homes (Elderly Residents) on 12th June 1986.

    Ms. Clare Short Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will provide full details of the costs taken into account in calculating the allowances payable to elderly residents in privately owned residential homes.

    Mr. Major Supplementary benefit for elderly people in homes meets actual charges – not costs – up to a maximum limit, currently £120.

    The Government aim to set limits at a level which will enable reasonable charges to be met, and take account in doing so of the best information available on relevant factors, including costs and charges. We are currently studying a report we have commissioned from management consultants on costs and charges in homes, and will make the results available shortly.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Giro Payments (Bank Charges) – 11 June 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Fraud Staff on 11th June 1986.

    Mr. Craigen Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will examine the problem which has arisen in the case of social security claimants who are incurring a bank service charge arising from the cashing of their Giro payment, details of which have been supplied to him by the hon. Member for Glasgow, Maryhill.

    Mr. Major I have received the hon. Member’s letter and inquiries are being made. I shall reply to the hon. Member’s letter as soon as possible.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Fraud Staff – 11 June 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Fraud Staff on 11th June 1986.

    Dr. Godman Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, pursuant to the answer of 5 June, how many of the 500 extra staff for social security fraud work will be found (a) in Scotland and (b) in the Strathclyde region.

    Mr. Major Final decisions have not yet been taken. but it is expected that about 80 additional fraud staff will be allocated to Scotland. Strathclyde falls within the boundaries of three management groups, each of which will he covered by a benefit fraud team.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Maternity Allowance – 11 June 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Maternity Allowance on 11th June 1986.

    Mr. Irving Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his latest estimate of the number of women who will lose entitlement to maternity allowance as a result of the change to a recent work test.

    Mr. Major It is estimated that in 1987-88 some 94,000 women who would have qualified for maternity allowance under the present scheme will not be entitled either to statutory maternity pay or to maternity allowance under the new provisions which will apply from April 1987. These will almost entirely be women who were not working when their pregnancies began and thus for whom such an earnings-replacement benefit was never intended. It is estimated that some 20,000 women who would not be entitled to maternity allowance under the present rules will be entitled to payment under the proposed recent work test of the new arrangements.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Private Residential Homes – 11 June 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Private Residential Homes on 11th June 1986.

    Mr. Meacher Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps he is taking, in the light of the decision of a registered homes tribunal on 4 June, to ensure that money paid by his Department into privately run homes is not misappropriated.

    Mr. Major The tribunal decision drew attention to the rules relating to appointees which are in paragraphs 9520 to 9560 of the S manual, a copy of which is in the Library. The existing rules provide for the withdrawal of the authority for one person to act for another when there is doubt whether benefit payments are administered in a satisfactory manner.