The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

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

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

    Dr. Godman Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what percentage of incomes in (a) Scotland, (b) Strathclyde and (c) Greenock and Port Glasgow are derived from social security payments; and what is the national percentage.

    Mr. Major Percentage information on Scotland is not available, but I refer the hon. Member to my replies to the hon. Member for Caernarfon (Mr. Wigley) on 22 April at columns 138 and 139 and 30 April at columns 431 and 432. I regret that information on Strathclyde and on individual constituencies is not available. On the national percentage, I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Newham, North-East (Mr. Leighton) today.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Retirement Pensions – 9 June 1986

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

    Ms. Richardson Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, pursuant to his answer of 15 May to the hon. Member for Barking, Official Report, columns 527-530, whether the retirement pension of those 5,733 people recorded as people in transit will be paid at current or frozen rates.

    Mr. Major The 5,733 people shown as “Countries not recorded (people in transit)” were known to be moving from one country to another but their new countries of residence were not included in the Department’s computer records at the time when the count was taken. Whether their pensions will be payable at current or frozen rates will depend upon the new country of residence.

    Ms. Richardson Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Barking, 15 May, Official Report, columns 527-530, how 828 retirement pensioners whose address is not known can receive a retirement pension abroad; and into what categories they fall.

    Mr. Major As these 828 pensioners have not provided their current addresses the appropriate rate of pension cannot be decided nor can payment be made. Information on the categories into which they fall is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

    Ms. Richardson Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Barking, 15 May, Official Report, columns 527-530, if he will set out the rules governing payment of benefit in those countries where some benefits are paid at current and others at partially unfrozen rates; and how many of the people listed as resident in each of those countries received their pension at current and at partially unfrozen rates.

    Mr. Major Current rates of pension are payable in all the countries listed as those where benefits are paid at current or partially unfrozen rates, except in Bermuda, Jamaica, and United States of America. In these three countries all increases since the respective agreements came into effect are payable, that is, from these dates:

    Country | Date

    Bermuda | 1 November 1969
    Jamaica | 1 October 1972
    United States of America | 28 September 1969

    In consequence, the great majority of pensions in these three countries are paid at current rates, but the precise numbers of people receiving full rate pensions are not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

    Ms. Richardson Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Barking, 15 May, Official Report, columns 527–530, if he will separate the figure for the average pension paid in countries where no increases are paid into the average paid to single people, to married men and to married women, respectively.

    Mr. Major The information requested is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

    Ms. Richardson Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Barking, 15 May, Official Report, columns 527–530, whether the numbers of beneficiaries listed include dependants; and if he will list separately the number of dependants.

    Mr. Major The numbers of beneficiaries listed do not include dependants. The number of these would be small, but precise figures are not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Social Security Payments (Newham) – 9 June 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Social Security Payments (Newham) on 9th June 1986.

    Mr. Leighton Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what percentage of income in the London borough of Newham is derived from social security payments; and what is the national percentage.

    Mr. Major In 1984 approximately 16 per cent. of national household disposable income came from social security benefits. No comparable figure is available for the London borough of Newham.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Unclaimed Benefits – 9 June 1986

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

    Sir Brandon Rhys Williams Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his latest estimate of the amount of social security benefits left unclaimed on an annual basis, distinguishing between the main benefits.

    Mr. Major The following table sets out the latest available published figures:

    Benefit | Year | Amount unclaimed in £ million

    Supplementary Benefit | 1981 | 760
    Family Income Supplement | 1981-82 | 57
    One Parent Benefit 1982-83 | 18

    First estimates of unclaimed housing benefits, and further estimates for supplementary benefit, family income supplement and one parent benefit, will be available shortly.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on the Enterprise Allowance – 9 June 1986

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

    Mr. Barnett Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what information he has as to how many recipients of the enterprise allowance who were also in receipt of housing benefit had the enterprise allowance treated as unearned income for the purposes of entitlement of housing benefit; and in how many cases it was treated as a business receipt;

    (2) if he has any plans to compensate those who have been financially disadvantaged by the decision to treat the enterprise allowance as unearned income under the housing benefit regulations; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr. Major No such information is collected centrally as the day-to-day administration of the housing benefit scheme is the statutory responsibility of local authorities. The guidance issued by the Department to local authorities is that enterprise allowance should be regarded as a business receipt for the purposes of deciding the income of housing benefit applicants – paragraph 7.15 of the housing benefits guidance manual, a copy of which is in the Library. If the hon. Member has a particular case in mind, he should raise it in the first instance with the local authority concerned.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Special Claims (Staff) – 5 June 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Special Claims (Staff) on 5th June 1986.

    Dr. Godman Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many of the 5,000 additional staff at the Department of Health and Social Security local offices will be posted to the special claims section; and if he will break this down by region.

    Mr. Major [pursuant to his reply, 19 May 1986, c. 63]: The 500 extra staff for fraud work are separate from the 5,000 additional local office staff for general work. None of the 5,000 will be used on fraud work. As regards the disposition of the 500, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for St. Albans (Mr. Utley) on 15 May, at column 533.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Benefits (Fraud) – 5 June 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Benefits (Fraud) on 5th June 1986.

    Mr. Marlow Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his best estimate of the numbers drawing unemployment or supplementary benefit who are also working without disclosing their work.

    Mr. Major It is a criminal offence for any claimant to draw unemployment benefit or supplementary benefit without declaring that he is working. In 1981, in his report on payments of benefits to unemployed people, Sir Derek Rayner estimated that a minimum of around 8 per cent. of claimants are working while claiming benefit. The Department is making substantial efforts to reduce the level of fraud in this area and the Secretary of State has recently announced the allocation of 500 additional fraud staff to augment the Department’s overall anti-fraud effort.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Benefits (Foreign Nationals) – 5 June 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Benefits (Foreign Nationals) on 5th June 1986.

    Mr. Marlow Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services under what conditions foreign nationals are entitled to supplementary benefit or unemployment benefit.

    Mr. Major Foreign nationals living in Great Britain who have paid the relevant contributions are entitled to unemployment benefit subject to the normal rules. Some foreign nationals are helped to qualify under the European social security regulations and the reciprocal arrangements on social security with certain other countries. Supplementary benefit has no residence, nationality or contribution test and the entitlement of foreign nationals is dependent upon their immigration status.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on National Insurance Contributions – 5 June 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on National Insurance Contributions on 5th June 1986.

    Dr. McDonald Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what would be the increased revenue from class 1, 2 and 4 national insurance contributions in a full year at the 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 I shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Housing Benefit – 4 June 1986

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

    Mr. Raynsford Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate (a) the number of awards of the supplementary benefit non-householder housing addition to those aged 21 to 24 years, (b) the number of households receiving housing benefit containing non-dependants between the ages of 21 and 24 years, in respect of whom deductions from housing benefit are made and (c) the net annual saving in benefit expenditure he expects to make as a result of the proposed changes to the rules governing non-householders and non-dependants aged between 21 and 24 years in July 1986.

    Mr. Major [pursuant to his reply, 12 May 1986, c. 381.]: Precise information is not available. We estimate that there are 180,000 non-householders aged 21-24 in receipt of supplementary benefit who receive the non-householder addition. Information is not collected centrally on non-dependent deductions from housing benefit but we can make some estimates based on a computer simulation model of housing benefit entitlement. These suggest that some 180,000 households which receive housing benefit contain non-dependants between the ages of 21-24 in respect of whom deductions are made. Of these there are about 30,000 where the non-dependants receive supplementary benefit. The figures available would suggest a gross saving of about £8 million to £9 million in 1986-87 and £26 million in 1987-88. We estimate that the corresponding change to the arrangements for non-dependants might reduce the gross savings by around a tenth. The year 1987-88 is the only full year before the wider social security changes which are planned, and since the change applies to new claims it will not affect all claimants.