Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Statutory Sick Pay on 3rd June 1986.
Sir Brandon Rhys Williams Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been the total cost of statutory sick pay in each year since it was introduced.
Mr. Major Statutory sick pay was introduced in April 1983 and the latest information available is that payments totalling £430 million and £509 million were made in 1983-84 and 1984-85 respectively.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit on 3rd June 1986.
Mr. Nellist Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people are presently in receipt of supplementary benefit in Coventry; and what was the comparable figure in May 1979.
Mr. Major 39,769 people are in receipt of supplementary benefit at the two Coventry local offices compared with 22,088 in May 1979.
Mr. Frank Cook Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) since the introduction of the Supplementary Benefits (Requirements) Amendment Regulations in November 1985 (a) how many requests local offices of his Department have received under schedule 2A, paragraph 5(4)(m) of those regulations for him to use his discretion in order to avoid exceptional hardship being suffered, (b) how many such requests have been referred on to the section dealing with them in headquarters and (c) in how many cases he has used his discretionary power;
(2) since the introduction of the Supplementary Benefits (Requirements) Amendment Regulations in November 1985 (a) how many requests have been received by each of the Stockton, Middlesbrough, Redcar, Eston and Hartlepool offices of his Department under schedule 2A, paragraph 5(4)(m) of those regulations for him to use his discretion in order to avoid exceptional hardship being suffered, (b) how many such requests from each of the above local offices have been referred on to the section dealing with them in headquarters and (c) in how many cases for each of the above local offices he has used his discretionary power.
Mr. Major Requests to local social security offices under schedule 2A, paragraph 5(4)(m) of the Supplementary Benefit Requirements Regulations are referred to headquarters. In respect of the individual offices mentioned by the hon. Member, four requests have been forwarded, all from the local office in Middlesbrough, of which one was successful. Overall, 94 requests have been received, of which 21 were successful.
Mr. Clay Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people were in receipt of supplementary benefit in (a) the northern region and (b) Sunderland for each year since 1979.
Mr. Major Sunderland is covered for social security purposes by the Department’s offices at Sunderland (South) and Sunderland (North) and is situated in the Department’s north-eastern region. North-eastern region was formed in 1982 by the amalgamation of the former Yorkshire and Humberside region with the major part of the former northern region. The table shows the total number of people receiving supplementary benefit in(a) both Sunderland local offices and (b) Northern and Yorkshire Humberside regions together for 1979-81 and north-eastern region from 1982 onwards. Figures given show the position at 6 May 1986, the latest available, and at comparable dates for each of the years since 1979.
Year | Sunderland | Region
1979 | 22,859 | 489,380
1980 | 23,137 | 497,297
1981 | 26,456 | 524,270
1982 | 31,272 | 663,069
1983 | 33,490 | 710,426
1984 | 36,248 | 756,721
1985 | 37,572 | 791,634
1986 | 38,678 | 804,115
Source: 100 per cent. count of live cases in action.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Benefits (Students) on 3rd June 1986.
Mr. Freud Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations he has received in respect of the proposal to restrict student eligibility for benefits.
Mr. Newton Since publication of the White Paper we have received approximately 1,230 written representations and inquiries on these proposals.
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list those elements of the mandatory student grant, other than the £181 for books and equipment, which are deductible for the calculation of the student’s entitlement to supplementary benefit during term-
Mr. Major The other grant elements which are deducted when calculating any entitlement to supplementary benefit during term time are any grant paid to a disabled student in respect of his additional expenditure by reason of his disability; any grant paid in respect of any dependent child or spouse outside the United Kingdom; any sum which is intended and used for meeting expenses reasonably incurred by a student while living in accommodation away from his home for the purpose of attending his course; any sum which is intended and used for travelling expenses; any sum awarded in respect of special equipment requirements.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Heating Costs on 3rd June 1986.
Mr. Raynsford Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many claims for single payments towards extra heating costs incurred by claimants during the exceptionally cold weather last winter have been submitted to his Department; how many payments have been made; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Major Information on the total number of claims for a single payment in respect of extra fuel used during the exceptionally severe weather last winter is not available, but approximately 336,000 such payments had been made by 6 May. Details of the total number of payments will be collected later in the year, when the period during which such claims could be made is over.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Rent Rebates and Allowances on 3rd June 1986.
Mr. Frank Field Asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, pursuant to the answer of 12 May, Official Report, columns 363-6, he will present the information about rent rebate and rent allowance payments, taking into account the payment of rent under the supplementary benefit scheme.
Mr. Major I have been asked to reply.
I shall let the hon. Member have the information that is available as soon as possible.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Prisoners of War (Compensation) on 23rd May 1986.
Mr. Parry Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how much compensation has been paid to ex-prisoners of war by the Japanese Government to date; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Major Under articles 14 and 16 of the treaty of peace with Japan, just over £4.6 million was received from Japan and about £175,000 from Thailand. During the early 1950s about £4.25 million of the total was distributed to some 59,000 former prisoners of war and civilian internees through the then Ministry of Pensions and the International Committee of the Red Cross. Apart from £3,000 held to meet possible future claims, the remainder is now held in a trust fund administered by the Far East (Prisoners of War and Internees) Fund.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Data Protection on 22nd May 1986.
Mr. Ashdown Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether his Department correctly completed and submitted its applications for data protection registration on time; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Major All uses of personal data within DHSS were registered with the Data Protection Registrar on 8 May.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit on 22nd May 1986.
Mr. Dewar Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many statutory single payments were made to pensioners in Scotland under the supplementary benefit rules in each of the last five years for which records are available.
Mr. Major I shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.
Mr. Dewar Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many pensioners in Scotland are currently in receipt of supplementary benefit.
Mr. Major The figure was 148,000 at February 1985, the latest date for which information is available.
Source: Quarterly Statistical Enquiry.
Mrs. Peacock Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people in the Batley and Spen constituency received assistance through supplementary benefit with mortgage repayments in each of the last 12 months.
Mr. Newton I regret that this information is not available.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Claimant (Support Agencies) on 22nd May 1986.
Mr. Janner Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what expenditure his Department incurs in supporting agencies providing advice and assistance for claimants at his Department’s local offices.
Mr. Major The Department has no powers under social security legislation to make grants to agencies specifically for the provision of advice and assistance to claimants. Agencies which provide a range of services including the provision of such advice and assistance may receive support from the Department under other legislation, but it is not possible to put a figure on the sum involved.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Claimant Couples on 22nd May 1986.
Mr. Redmond Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the number of claimant couples with children in receipt of (a) unemployment benefit only, (b) supplementary benefit only and (c) unemployment benefit and supplementary benefit for the latest available year in Doncaster, Wath-on-Dearne and Mexborough Department of Health and Social Security offices.
Mr. Major I regret that this information is not available centrally. Statistics are not kept routinely so that the information requested could be obtained only by a special exercise which would be disproportionately expensive.