The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

Category: 1983-1987 Parliament

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Cold Weather Payments – 30 March 1987

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Cold Weather Payments on 30th March 1987.

    Mrs. Beckett Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what is the estimated cost of administering cold weather payments for the period January to March 1987, assuming maximum take-up; and how much was spent on publicising these payments;
    (2) how many cold weather payments have been made in 1987 in each week for which information is available, to claimants in each of the categories (a) over 65 years, (b) chronically sick or disabled, and (c) with a child under the age of two years.

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

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Pensions – 30 March 1987

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Pensions on 30th March 1987.

    Mrs. Beckett Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the average basic, graduated and earnings-related retirement pension awarded to women aged 60 years and men aged 65 years respectively, in each year since 1978, including the guaranteed minimum pension for contracted-out employees.

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

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on the Mobility Allowance – 30 March 1987

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on the Mobility Allowance on 30th March 1987.

    Mr. Frank Field Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list in the Official Report the circumstances covered by the authority issued in summer 1986 to make ex gratia payments to mobility allowance claimants.

    Mr. Major In March 1986, a judgment by the Court of Appeal overturned a decision of a tribunal of social security commissioners which had held that a medical appeal tribunal could and should consider, in appropriate cases, whether a claimant who was unable to satisfy the conditions for an award of mobility allowance as at the date of claim did satisfy them from a later date.

    Whilst the legislation was being amended to restore the law to what it was believed to be before the judgment, arrangements were made for extra-statutory payments to be made on the same basis as if awards from a later date were still permissible. As part of the amendment, now in section 71 of the Social Security Act 1986, such payments were put on to a statutory basis by treating them as payments of mobility allowance and by treating the recipients as having been entitled to the allowance for the period the payments were made.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Mesothelioma – 30 March 1987

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Mesothelioma on 30th March 1987.

    Mr. Dobson Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give the number of awards of industrial death benefit for mesothelioma in 1984 and 1985; and when he expects the 1986 figures to be available.

    Mr. Major The following table shows the numbers of awards of industrial death benefit for mesothelioma in 1984, 1985 and 1986:

    Year | Number of awards
    1984 | 139
    1985 | 196
    1986 | 247

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on the Social Fund – 30 March 1987

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on the Social Fund on 30th March 1987.

    Mr. Dubs Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will seek the views of voluntary organisations providing residential and other services for supplementary benefit recipients as part of the consultation process on the proposed social fund.

    Mr. Major I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Lancashire, West (Mr. Hind) on 25 March at column 211.

    Mrs. Beckett Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how the social fund budgets to be issued to local social security offices in April 1988 will differ from the cash limits which are to be introduced when there is sufficient experience of the operation of the fund.

    Mr. Major The budgets will be specific to individual offices, and each office will be required to keep spending within its budget. Within the total amount available in the fund at any time, however, there will be contingency arrangements at national level to meet unforeseen demands while totally unexpected increases in expenditure at the end of a year can, if necessary, be accommodated by running down the standing balance in the fund. A cash limit, when introduced, will apply to the aggregate of voted money paid into the fund in any financial year.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Maternity Payments – 27 March 1987

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on the Maternity Payments on 27th March 1987.

    Mr. Dubs Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many women in Putney claimed the maternity grant in the last year for which figures are available.

    Mr. Major Information is not available in the form requested. But in the 12 months ending 31 December 1986, 1,120 claims for maternity grant were made at the Wandsworth local office of the Department which covers Putney, although the boundaries are not conterminous.

    Mr. Dubs Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many women in Welwyn and Hatfield claimed the maternity grant in the last year for which figures are available.

    Mr. Major Information is not available in the form requested. But in the 12 months ending 31 December 1986, the following numbers of claims to maternity grant were made at the Department’s local offices which cover the constituency, although their boundaries are not conterminous:

    Area | Number
    Hatfield | 1,008
    Hertford | 1,339
    St. Albans | 1,509

    Mr. Dubs Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many women in Battersea claimed the maternity grant in the last year for which figures are available.

    Mr. Major Information is not available in the form requested. But in the 12 months ending 31 December 1986, the following numbers of claims to maternity grant were made at the Department’s offices which cover the Battersea constituency, although the boundaries are not conterminous:

    Area | Number
    Balham (1)
    Battersea (1)
    Wandsworth | 1,120

    (1) Claims for these offices are dealt with at Broadstairs out-station. A total of 5,258 claims were dealt with at that office but this total includes claims proper to other offices.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on the Disabled Persons Act 1986 – 26 March 1987

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on the Disabled Persons Act 1986 on 26th March 1987.

    Mr. Hannam Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he is in a position to make a further statement on the implementation of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986.

    Mr. Major I am pleased to announce that, following discussion with the local authority associations, I have today made a commencement order to bring into force on 1 April 1987 sections 4 (except paragraph(b)) and 8 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986. I hope that it will be possible to bring section 11 into force later this year.

    I have discussed with the local authority associations how best to proceed towards implementation of the rest of the Act, in particular sections 5 and 6 which deal with disabled school leavers, given the resource implications. We agreed that there would be urgent discussions at official level to look in more detail at the costs, and that I should meet the local authority associations in May to review progress.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on the Mobility Allowance – 26 March 1987

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on the Mobility Allowance on 26th March 1987.

    Mr. Maclennan Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give his latest estimate of the total number of claims for mobility allowance refused on grounds of age at the latest available date; and what consideration he has given to raising the upper age limit of eligibility for mobility allowance.

    Mr. Major During 1986, a total of 13,940 claims for mobility allowance were disallowed on age grounds. The limit of age 75 for the payment of the allowance will not affect any recipients before November 1989 and we shall consider whether or not the legislation should be amended nearer that time.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Pensioners (Benefits) – 26 March 1987

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Pensioners (Benefits) on 26th March 1987.

    Mr. Meacher Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many pensioners, and what percentage have (i) other state benefits than retirement pensions, (ii) occupational pensions, (iii) state earnings-related pensions and (iv) income from savings which is in each case (a) £0-£1 to £5 per week, (b) £5-£10 per week, (c) £10-£20 per week, (d) £20-£30 per week, (e) £30-£40 per week, (f) £40-£50 per week, (g) £50-£60 per week, (h) £60-£70 per week, (i) £70-£80 per week, (j) £80-£90 per week, (k) £90-£100 per week and (l) more than £100 per week.

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

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Severe Weather Payments – 26 March 1987

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Severe Weather Payments on 26th March 1987.

    Dr. Godman Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many claims were received by the Greenock and Port Glasgow Department of Health and Social Security supplementary benefit office for single payments in respect of the exceptionally severe weather in January; how many of these claims have been processed; and how many are outstanding.

    Mr. Major Information is not available in the form requested. However, up to 10 March 1987 – the latest date for which figures are available – the Greenock and Port Glasgow local offices had made approximately 17,000 exceptionally cold weather £5 payments.

    Dr. Godman Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what percentage of claimants at the Greenock and Port Glasgow Department of Health and Social Security supplementary benefit offices who were entitled to exceptionally severe weather payments actually claimed for the payments in January of this year.

    Mr. Major I regret that the information requested is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.