The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

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  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Rate Rebates – 16 December 1985

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Rate Rebates on 16th December 1985.

    Mr. John Fraser Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) to how many of the local authorities which failed to set a rate by 1 April 1985 his Department delayed payment of its contribution to rate rebates;

    (2) if he will list the local authorities that continued to pay rate rebates after 1 April 1985 but before they had set a rate.

    Mr. Major Payments on account of rate rebate subsidy were not made to ten authorities who did not set a rate on time since rate rebates are properly payable under the statutory housing benefits scheme only when a rate has been set. The hon. Member might like to consult the authorities concerned for information about rate rebates they paid before setting a rate.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Applications and Appeals (Ayr) – 16 December 1985

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Applications and Appeals (Ayr) on 16th December 1985.

    Mr. Foulkes Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the current average time taken between refusal of an application by an officer and an appeal against that refusal being heard by a tribunal in the area covered by the Ayr Office; and how this compares with the Scottish and United Kingdom averages, respectively.

    Mr. Major The information available relates to the period between the lodging of an appeal against a decision by an adjudication officer and the hearing of that appeal by a social security appeal tribunal.

    The most recent information relates to the last quarter of 1984. At that time the average time for the hearing of appeals relating to all social security benefits was 11.8 weeks in Scotland and 13.9 weeks in Great Britain. Equivalent figures are not available for the United Kingdom or for localities smaller than a Region.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Housing Benefit – 16 December 1985

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Housing Benefit on 16th December 1985.

    Mr. Stern Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what proportion of the expenditure of his Department in 1984-85 on housing benefit and housing benefit supplement was expended in satisfying the rate bills of recipients of those benefits.

    Mr. Major About one third of housing benefit expenditure was expended on rate rebates in 1984-85.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Mr AD Hickson – 16 December 1985

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Mr AD Hickson on 16th December 1985.

    Mr. Heddle Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will indicate when Mr. A. D. Hickson of 21 Lansdowne Way, Etching Hill, Rugeley will receive the supplementary benefit to which he is entitled from 13 September last (ref. no. 2809/222803).

    Mr. Major A payment of supplementary benefit, including all arrears due, was made to Mr. Hickson on 15 November 1985.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Pensions – 16 December 1985

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Pensions on 16th December 1985.

    Mr. Kirkwood Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list in the Official Report any geographical area in the United Kingdom where delays are being experienced in making available the new up-rated weekly pension payments.

    Mr. Major People who receive their weekly pension payments from the Department’s Office at Newcastle were issued with uprated order books before the date the increases took effect.

    The great majority of those who receive their payments from the Department’s network of local offices were also issued with their increases by the due date, but a few people living in areas covered by the following offices may have experienced some delays:

    Bracknell

    Camberwell

    Hounslow

    Ipswich

    Kennington Park

    Kirkby (Liverpool)

    Leicester

    Tottenham

    Wood Green (North London)

    Surbiton

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit – 16 December 1985

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit on 16th December 1985.

    Mr. Cohen Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been the number of supplementary benefit claimants in Leyton and Leytonstone in each of the past six years.

    Mr. Major The London postal districts of Leyton and Leytonstone are covered by the Department’s office at Leytonstone, although the boundaries are not conterminous. The number of people receiving supplementary benefit from that office on 30 July 1985 – the latest available figures – and on comparable dates in the past five years were:

    Year | Number

    1980 | 6,444

    1981 | 7,529

    1982 | 8,252

    1983 | 8,980

    1984 | 9,629

    1985 | 10,340

    Source: 100 per cent. count of cases in action.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Rate Rebate (Lambeth) – 16 December 1985

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Rate Rebate (Lambeth) on 16th December 1985.

    Mr. John Fraser Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what was the date of the first payment of rate rebate to Lambeth council in the financial year 1985-86; and what interest accrued to public funds as a result of it not being paid at an earlier date;

    (2) what is the current annual cost of housing benefit in Lambeth and the cost of administering the scheme.

    Mr. Major The first payment on account of rate rebate subsidy to Lambeth for the year 1985-86 was made on 15 July. On the second point, it is not possible to give a figure since the calculation would depend on hypothetical assumptions about how central Government’s financing would have been carried out in other circumstances.

    Latest estimates provided by the London borough of Lambeth indicate that the cost of housing benefit in 1985-86 is expected to be £49 million and the cost of its administration is expected to be £2.5 million.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit Claims – 10 December 1985

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit Claims on 10th December 1985.

    Mr. Deakins Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been the number of supplementary benefit claimants in Walthamstow in each of the past six years.

    Mr. Major The table shows the number of people receiving supplementary benefit from the Department’s office at Walthamstow on 30 July 1985 – the latest figures available and at comparable dates in the preceding five years.

    Date | Numbers

    July 1985 | 13,486

    July 1984 | 13,160

    July 1983 | 13,081

    July 1982 | 12,401

    July 1981 | 10,840

    July 1980 | 9,557

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Pensions – 10 December 1985

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Pensions on 10th December 1985.

    Mr. Stan Thorne Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average net additional weekly amount which will be received by (a) a single pensioner and (b) a married pensioner couple as a result of the combined effects of the recent benefits uprating and the measures announced in the autumn statement.

    Mr. Major As a result of the recent benefits uprating the standard rate of basic retirement pension has been increased by £2.50 for a single pensioner and by £4.00 for a married pensioner couple. Increased amounts of additional pension and graduated retirement benefit may also be payable, but the exact amounts will depend upon the pensioner’s individual circumstances.

    The Chancellor’s recent autumn statement announced no measures which affected pensioner incomes: it outlined Government spending plans for the forthcoming year.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Family Income – 10 December 1985

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Family Income on 10th December 1985.

    Mr. Fatchett Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many children are currently living in families whose income is at or below his Department’s defined poverty levels; and how this figure compares with the figures for 1979.

    Mr. Major The Department does not have defined poverty levels on which to base such a calculation.