The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

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  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Claimants (Camden) – 12 May 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Claimants (Camden) on 12th May 1986.

    Mr. Dobson Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give for the latest available year (a) the number of disqualifications for unemployment benefit and (b) the number of deductions from supplementary benefit experienced by claimants in Camden on the ground of voluntary unemployment.

    Mr. Major I shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Rate Rebates – 12 May 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Rate Rebates on 12th May 1986.

    Mr. Raynsford Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the local authorities in Great Britain in which (a) more than half and (b) more than a quarter of ratepayers receive 100 per cent. rate rebates.

    Mr. Major I regret that this information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Old Persons’ Homes – 12 May 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Old Persons’ Homes on 12th May 1986.

    Mr. Park Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been the total annual sum paid each year since 1980 to claimants in respect of residence and maintenance in old persons’ homes in Coventry.

    Mr. Major I regret that this information is not readily available and could be obtained only by a special exercise which would be disproportionately expensive.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on the Statutory Sick Pay Scheme – 9 May 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on the Statutory Sick Pay Scheme on 9th May 1986.

    Mr. Janner Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what plans his Department has to review the operation of the statutory sick pay scheme since April 1983 in the light of the criticisms contained in the new report published by the Disability Alliance ERA, Leicester Rights Centre and the Leicester city council low pay campaign, copies of which were sent to him; and whether he will make a statement.

    Mr. Major I shall let the hon. and learned Member have a reply as soon as possible.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Benefits (Coventry) – 9 May 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Benefits (Coventry) on 9th May 1986.

    Mr. Park Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many tenants in no-fines dwellings in the Coventry North-East constituency are in receipt of additional heating allowances.

    Mr. Major I regret that the information requested is not available.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Board and Lodging Payments – 6 May 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Board and Lodging Payments on 6th May 1986.

    Mr. Meacher Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the average length of waiting time between application and receipt for board and lodging payments at his Department’s Regency Street, London office; and what was the national average for (a) 1985 and (b) each month of 1986.

    Mr. Major I regret that no information is available centrally on the average length of waiting time between application and receipt for board and lodging payments. Individual statistics on these cases are not kept routinely so that information could be obtained only by a special exercise which would be disproportionately expensive.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Re-establishment Centres – 6 May 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Re-establishment Centres on 6th May 1986.

    Sir David Price Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what progress he is making with the proposed transfer of re-establishment centres to the Manpower Services Commission and to other suitable agencies; and if he will make a statement;

    (2) when he expects to be able to reply to the Second Report from the Social Services Committee, Session 1985-86, on resettlement units and re-establishment centres;

    (3) when he expects to be able to announce the future of his Department’s resettlement unit in Southampton; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr. Major There is no proposition to transfer re-establishment centres to the Manpower Services Commission. We are considering the extent to which the range of help available to the long-term unemployed duplicates the facilities available to re-establishment centre users. We shall then make a final decision about the future of the re-establishment centres. The community programme, for example, is to be increased to 255,000 places by November 1986. By March 1987 this improved provision should make it possible to assist all the long-term unemployed as they reach 12 months unemployment. Each person referred to a Manpower Services Commission employment adviser will have an initial interview at which the availability of jobs and Me appropriateness of training will be considered. Links between employment advisers and DHSS unemployment review officers will be strengthened to match people with the most suitable Manpower Services Commission programme.

    I hope to be able to reply shortly to the second report from the Social Services Committee, Session 1985-86. In so far as the resettlement unit in Southampton is concerned, no decisions have yet been made. Regionally-based teams have been asked to report on alternative provision for all DHSS resettlement units and their findings will be discussed and the issues drawn together at a national resettlement conference on 3 June. The views of the conference on the criteria against which individual proposals should be judged will be available to Ministers when they consider the regional reports.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Unemployment Benefit – 6 May 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Unemployment Benefit on 6th May 1986.

    Sir Russell Johnston Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the rate of unemployment benefit in April in each of the years 1980 to 1985.

    Mr. Major I refer the hon. Member to the publication “Social Security Statistics 1985”, a copy of which is in the Library.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit – 6 May 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit on 6th May 1986.

    Mr. Frank Field Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what reciprocal arrangements with Northern Ireland have been made under section 31 of the Supplementary Benefits Act 1976.

    Mr. Major None. It has not been necessary to make use of this power since problems which have arisen over co-ordination with the Northern Ireland system of supplementary benefits have been resolved by other means.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Computers – 6 May 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Computers on 6th May 1986.

    Mr. Meacher Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what guidelines Her Majesty’s Government is issuing on inter-departmentally linked computer-held information in the light of the White Paper plans for up-dating the Department of Health and Social Security system; and who will have access to the up-dated computers in the Department of Health and Social Security and under what circumstances.

    Mr. Major There are no current plans to issue guidelines on inter-departmentally linked computer-held information in the light of the White Paper plans to update the Department’s computer systems. We have firm plans to link with only one other Department – the Department of Employment. The two Departments already work closely together, using computerised systems, for the provision of social security benefits. The Department of Employment acts as agent for the DHSS in the payment of unemployment benefit and supplementary allowance for the unemployed and this Department has responsibility for the two unemployment benefit computer centres at Reading and Livingston.

    The new computerisation plans involving the two Departments include the provision of terminals and visual display units in local unemployment benefit offices, providing staff there with a direct link to these two mainframe computers –previously they were linked by the overnight telegraph system. The terminals and VDUs are currently being installed, in an average of 10 new offices a week, on a rolling programme stretching into 1987. This new facility allows unemployment benefit staff to input, amend and update claims immediately, and gives them instant information to answer benefit claimants’ inquiries.

    This system also provides access to the DHSS general index for the purpose of tracing national insurance numbers necessary in the processing of an unemployment benefit claim. This facility will be retained when the general index is absorbed into the new departmental central index which is to be developed from 1988.