The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

Author: admin

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Mortgage Interest – 11 June 1986

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

    Mr. Thurnham Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the total cost of the payment during 1985-86 by his Department of interest on the mortgages of those unemployed during each of the first six months of unemployment respectively.

    Mr. Major The precise information requested is not available. The “Annual Statistical Enquiry 1983”, the latest information available, provides information about the number of supplementary benefit recipients who have been unemployed for under six months where the assessment of benefit includes an allowance towards mortgage interest. Information about the average weekly payment in respect of mortgage interest added in the assessment is also provided. At December 1983 an average weekly payment of £16.82 for mortgage interest was included in the assessment of approximately 65,000 supplementary benefit claimants unemployed for under six months. On this basis the total annual amount of mortgage interest added in the assessment of supplementary benefit would be £61 million.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Population Statistics (Newham) – 10 June 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Population Statistics on 10th June 1986.

    Mr. Leighton Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what percentage of the population of the London borough of Newham live at or below the supplementary benefit level.

    Mr. Major I regret that percentage information on the number of people living at or below the supplementary benefit level in individual constituencies is not available.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on National Insurance Contributions – 10 June 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on National Insurance Contributions on 10th June 1986.

    Dr. McDonald Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what would be the increased revenue for class 1, 2 and 4 national insurance contributions in a full year at rates ruling in 1986-87 resulting from the abolition of the upper earnings limit for employee contributions and of the annual upper limit for class 4 contributions.

    Mr. Major [pursuant to his reply, 5 June 1986]: If the upper earnings limit (UEL) for employees class 1 national insurance contributions (NICs) and the upper profits limit for class 4 NICs were abolished, but the UEL was retained for the contracting out rebate, the additional contribution revenue in a full year in 1986-87 terms would be £770 million and £210 million, respectively.

    These figures have been calculated on the same basis as the report by the Government Actuary on the draft of the Social Security Benefits Uprating Order 1986 (Cmnd. 9789).

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit – 10 June 1986

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

    Mr. Mason Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people were in receipt of supplementary benefit in Barnsley during each of the years from 1979 to the latest year for which figures are available.

    Mr. Major Barnsley is covered for social security purposes by two of the Department’s offices; their boundaries are not conterminous with those of the town. The table shows the number of people in receipt of supplementary benefit from those two offices at 6 May 1986 and at comparable dates since 1979.

    Year | Number

    1979 | 9,805
    1980 | 9,882
    1981 | 11,943
    1982 | 14,563
    1983 | 15,016
    1984 | 17,623
    1985 | 18,690
    1986 | 19,565

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

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Claimant Statistics – 10 June 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Claimant Statistics on 10th June 1986.

    Mr. Barry Jones Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the number of claimants with children in Wales in receipt of (a) unemployment benefit only, (b) supplementary benefit only and (c) unemployment benefit and supplementary benefit for the latest available year in (i) Alyn and Deeside and (ii) Clwyd.

    Mr. Major I regret that this information is not available. Statistics are not kept routinely so that the information requested could he obtained only by a special exercise which would be disproportionately expensive.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Direct Fuel Deduction Arrangements – 10 June 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Direct Fuel Deduction Arrangements on 10th June 1986.

    Mr. Irving Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his latest estimate of the impact of his proposals to discontinue direct fuel deduction arrangements on the number of fuel supplies disconnected.

    Mr. Major There are no such proposals.

    Mr. Irving Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people during 1985 made use of direct fuel deduction arrangements.

    Mr. Major The latest available, provisional, information from the December 1984 annual statistical inquiry is as follows:

    Fuel direct deductions in December 1984

    Fuel Type | Number of arrangements
    Electricity | 150,000
    Gas | 111,000
    Other | 4,000

    Note: Some claimants have direct payment arrangements in respect of more than one type of fuel so the number of households affected will he less than the total number of arrangements.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Re-establishment Centres – 9 June 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Re-establishment Centres on 9th June 1986.

    Mr. Soley Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services

    (1) what alternate provision has been made for those people attending re-establishment centres which are being closed;

    (2) whether he will keep his Department’s re-establishment centres open until such time as alternate provision has been made for those attending such centres;

    (3) whether the recommendations of the second report of the Social Services Committee were taken into account when he decided to close the re-establishment centres; and whether the skilled staff will be transferred to the Manpower Services Commission to continue their work.

    Mr. Major I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Southampton, Itchen (Mr. Chope) on 22 May at columns 317 to 319.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Member’s Question – 9 June 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Member’s Question on 9th June 1986.

    Dr. Godman Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, further to his answer of 19 May, Official Report, column 63, when he expects to reply to the question from the hon. Member for Greenock and Port Glasgow on additional staff for special claims sections.

    Mr. Major I refer the hon. Member to my reply to him on 5 June 1986.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Reciprocal Social Security Agreements – 9 June 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Reciprocal Social Security Agreements on 9th June 1986.

    Mr. Boyes Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he intends to seek to negotiate a reciprocal social security agreement with Canada; and if he will list in the Official Report the countries with which the United Kingdom has reciprocal social security agreements.

    Mr. Major There is already a social security convention between the United Kingdom and Canada, but it is limited in scope and does not include pensions.

    The United Kingdom has reciprocal social security conventions with the following countries:

    Austria
    Australia
    Belgium
    Bermuda
    Canada
    Cyprus
    Denmark
    Finland
    France
    Federal Republic of Germany
    Gibraltar
    Guernsey
    Iceland
    Ireland
    Isle of Man
    Israel
    Italy
    Jamaica
    Jersey
    Luxembourg
    Malta
    Mauritius
    Netherlands
    New Zealand
    Norway
    Portugal
    Spain
    Sweden
    Switzerland
    Turkey
    United States of America
    Yugoslavia

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Living Standards – 9 June 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Living Standards on 9th June 1986.

    Dr. Godman Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is able to estimate what percentage of the population of Greenock and Port Glasgow live at or below the supplementary benefit level; and what is his estimate of the national percentage living at or below supplementary benefit level.

    Mr. Major I regret that information on the percentage of people living at or below the supplementary benefit level in individual constituencies is not available. In 1981 just: over 14 per cent. of the population of Great Britain lived in families where the head was either receiving supplementary benefit or where the income of the family was below the supplementary benefit level.