Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on National Insurance Contributions on 25th March 1986.
Mr. Austin Mitchell Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what would be the estimated cost to the Exchequer in 1986-
Mr. Major On the basis of the assumptions set out in his report on the draft of the Social Security (Contributions, Re-
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit on 25th March 1986.
Mr. Marlow Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the numbers of people in receipt of supplementary benefit who are of working age, are not disabled and are not actively seeking work.
Mr. Major This information is not collected by the Department.
Mr. Leighton Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many households in the London borough of Newham receive supplementary benefit; what were the numbers in each of the last six years; and what percentage of the total number of such households the latest figure represents.
Mr. Major The London borough of Newham is covered by three of the Departments offices, Canning Town, Plaistow and Woodgrange park, but their boundaries are not conterminous.
Information about the number of households receiving supplementary benefit is not available. The following figures show the total number of people claiming supplementary benefit from those offices at 11 February 1986 and at comparable dates for the last six years. There will in some circumstances be more than one claimant in a household.
Years | Numbers
1980 | 17,113
1981 | 19,643
1982 | 23,853
1983 | 26,788
1984 | 28,127
1985 | 30,552
1986 | 31,897
This Department has no information on the total number of households in Newham.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on War Pensioners on 25th March 1986.
Mr. Gerald Howarth Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the present number of war pensioners; and if he has any plans to increase the disregard from the current level of £4.
Mr. Major It is estimated that 206,400 war disablement pensions, 61,350 war widows pensions and 5,290 other war pensions were being paid in the United Kingdom at the end of December 1985. We have no current plans to increase the supplementary benefit disregard of £4 week.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Severe Weather Payments on 25th March 1986.
Mr. Strang Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has made any estimate of the numbers of households likely to be eligible for exceptionally severe weather payments following the cold February weather; and if he will estimate the likely total cost of the payments.
Mr. Major It is not possible to make a reliable estimate at this stage. Information about numbers and costs will be collected when the period during which payments are likely to arise is over.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Housing Benefit on 24th March 1986.
Mr. Andrew Bowden Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many pensioner households lost all housing benefit as a result of the changes which came into effect in November 1985; and, of these, how many were tenants and how many owner-
Mr. Major [pursuant to his reply, 11 March 1986, c. 439]: It is estimated that about 210,000 fewer pensioner households received housing benefit as a result of the increase in the rate rebate taper above the needs allowance, offset where appropriate by the real improvement in the dependent child addition to the needs allowance in November 1985. About three-
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on National Insurance Credits on 24th March 1986.
Mr. Ralph Howell Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many unemployed people in Great Britain were claiming national insurance credits but were not receiving either unemployment benefit or supplementary allowance, at November 1985; and how many of these people (a) had been unemployed for over one year and exhausted their entitlement to unemployment benefit, (b) had claimed unemployment benefit but had their claims disallowed or (c) were ineligible for other reasons.
Mr. Major At May 1985, the most recent date for which figures are available, there were 429,200 unemployed claimants who were in receipt of neither unemployment nor supplementary benefit. 207,800 had exhausted their entitlement to unemployment benefit, and of these 151,600 had been unemployed for over a year during the current spell of unemployment. There were 102,100 people whose claims for unemployment benefit were disallowed of whom 11,000 would not be entitled to national insurance credits because, for example, they left their jobs voluntarily, and 119,300 whose entitlement had not yet been determined or who were serving the three waiting days for unemployment benefit.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit on 24th March 1986.
Mr. Ralph Howell Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people are currently receiving (a) supplementary benefit and (b) supplementary pensions, in the Norfolk, North constituency area.
Mr. Major The constituency of Norfolk, North is covered for social security purposes by three local offices, Norwich (Chantry), Great Yarmouth and Kings Lynn, but their boundaries are not conterminous.
On 11 February 1986 (the latest date for which information is available) there were 27,328 people receiving supplementary allowance and 18,492 receiving supplementary pension from those offices.
Mr. Pendry Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the total number of claimants in receipt of supplementary benefit in the Greater Manchester area, by constituency; of these, how many are pensioners, families with children, and young people under the age of 25 years; and of each of these three categories, what information he has regarding additional requirements which are included in their supplementary benefit assessment, by type and average amount of additional requirements.
Mr. Major I shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on the State Pension (Interest Payments) on 24th March 1986.
Mr. Cartwright Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether Her Majesty’s Government have any plans to seek to pay interest to pensioners who receive their state pension in arrears on either a four weekly or quarterly basis for that period between the pension being due and the pension being paid; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Major I have no such plans.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Single Payments on 24th March 1986.
Mr. Kirkwood Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will correlate the numbers of single payment awards made in each Department of Health and Social Security office with the number of claimants in each of those offices; and if he will place the information in the Library.
Mr. Major The information requested is already available in the Library.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Urgent Needs Payments on 24th March 1986.
Mr. Kirkwood Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will place in the Library the following guidance issued to staff in local offices of his Department: (a) code AX concerning the recovery of urgent needs payments and (b) code LB concerning the recovery of moneys from liable relatives.
Mr. Major It would not be in the public interest to do so.