The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

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  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on National Insurance Contributions – 19 March 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on National Insurance Contributions on 19th March 1986.

    Mr. Frank Field Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list for each year since 1978–79 changes in the contribution rates for both employee and employer of class one national insurance contributions; and if he will state for each year the additional revenue raised by these charges from (i) employees and (ii) employers for each of these years.

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

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit – 19 March 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit on 19th March 1986.

    Mr. Frank Field Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will detail for the latest available date the number of (a) claimants and (b) dependants on supplementary benefit; and if this total could be broken down into the main claimant groups.

    Mr. Major The latest date for which this information is available is December 1983, and I refer the hon. Member to table 3.1 of the “Annual Statistical Enquiry, 1983”, a copy of which is in the Library.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Housing Benefit – 17 March 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Housing Benefit on 17th March 1986.

    Mr. Corbyn Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list, by each office of his Department, and housing authority, the total amounts of housing benefit owing by way of arrears as of 1 January.

    Mr. Major This information is not available centrally. Local authorities are responsible for administering the housing benefits scheme and where possible should determine a claim for benefit within 14 days of receiving the information required to calculate entitlement. If the hon. Member would like to know the position in any particular authority he should contact that authority direct.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Rent Arrears – 17 March 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Rent Arrears on 17th March 1986.

    Mr. Corbyn Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many recipients of housing benefit, by housing authority area, were in rent arrears on 1 January as a result of non-payment by his Department of moneys due to the housing authority.

    Mr. Major The Department makes monthly payments on account to local authorities to enable them to award benefit under the housing benefits scheme. The authorities estimate the sums they will need to spend at the start of each financial year and can submit a revised claim for subsidy if necessary during the year. There is no reason therefore why authorities should not have adequate funds to award rent rebates to those tenants entitled to benefit.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Low Income Families – 17 March 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Low Income Families on 17th March 1986.

    Mr. Gordon Brown Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make it his policy to update in the Official Report the information on the income level of poorer households provided in his reply of 24 October 1983 to the hon. Member for Dundee West (Mr. Wilson) Official Report, column 51, as soon as the 1983 low income families tables are placed in the Library.

    Mr. Major I shall let the hon. Member have the information as soon as the tables are placed in the Library.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Unemployment Benefit and Pensions – 17 March 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Unemployment Benefit and Pensions on 17th March 1986.

    Mr. Gordon Brown Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the latest information available on the percentage of gross average earnings, unemployment benefit and the basic state pension each represents in the United Kingdom; and how this compares to each of the other members of the European Economic Community and the Scandinavian countries.

    Mr. Major The basic rates of retirement pension and unemployment benefit for a married couple introduced in November 1985 were at that date 36 per cent. and 29 per cent. respectively of the average weekly gross earnings of adult male manual workers in Great Britain. Information on the level of benefit in other countries is given in the Department’s publications “Tables of Social Benefit Systems in the Member States of the European Communities” and “Comparative Tables of the Social Security Systems in Council of Europe member states not belonging to the European Communities”, available in the Library. Information is not available for reliable comparisons with gross average earnings in the relevant countries.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Pensioners – 17 March 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Pensioners on 17th March 1986.

    Mr. Adley Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many pensioners there are now and how many there were in 1979.

    Mr. Major In November 1979 there were 8.6 million retirement pensioners in Great Britain. By September 1985, the latest figures available, this figure had risen to 9.2 million.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Departmental Staffing Levels – 17 March 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Departmental Staffing Levels on 17th March 1986.

    Sir Geoffrey Finsberg Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is satisfied with the level of staffing and speed of response to public inquiries at his Department’s office in Melton Street, London NW1.

    Mr. Major A further 5,000 staff for DHSS local offices was announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services on 7 March 1986. This very substantial increase, of which the Melton Street office will receive an appropriate share, will ensure adequate levels of service throughout the coming financial year.

    Sir Geoffrey Finsberg Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, pursuant to his answer of 7 March, Official Report, column 322, how many of the extra local office staff referred to will be added to those already employed at the Melton street office NW1, and the Cricklewood office, NW2 of his Department.

    Mr. Major The method of distributing the extra local office staff has still to be decided. It is not possible at this stage to say how many extra staff individual local offices will receive.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Overseas Pensioners – 17 March 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Overseas Pensioners on 17th March 1986.

    Sir Eldon Griffiths Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the countries with which Britain has agreements to provide cost of living increases to British pensioners who reside there.

    Mr. Major Pensions are payable at the same rates as in the United Kingdom to pensioners in European Community States, and under reciprocal agreements to pensioners in the following countries:

    Austria

    Cyprus

    Finland

    Guernsey

    Iceland

    Israel

    Jersey

    Malta

    Mauritius

    Sark

    Switzerland

    Turkey

    Yugoslavia

    Pensioners in a further group of countries receive the increases which become payable after the date an agreement entered into force:

    Bermuda, from 1 November 1969

    Jamaica, from 1 October 1972

    United States of America, from 25 September 1969

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on the Departmental Office (Bloomsbury) – 17 March 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on the Departmental Office (Bloomsbury) on 17th March 1986.

    Mr. Chris Smith Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many items of outstanding post are awaiting action at the Bloomsbury local Department of Health and Social Security office, Tavistock Square; and how long, on average, they have been outstanding.

    Mr. Major On 11 March 1986, there were 2,443 items of unlinked post outstanding of which 2,198 were over two days old. Only 33 of the total number of outstanding items were new or repeat claims to supplementary benefit. Records are not kept of how long, on average, items of post are outstanding.