The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

Category: 1983-1987 Parliament

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

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

    Mr. Austin Mitchell Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing (a) the number of families on family income supplement and the number with children, (b) the number of one-parent families drawing the special allowance, (c) the number of families on unemployment benefit drawing social security and the number with children, (d) the number of other families on social security and the number with children, (e) the number of families paid other kinds of dependency addition and (f) the number of children covered by each of the foregoing categories.

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

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

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

    Mr. Austin Mitchell Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the savings in benefits in the next financial year of raising the single and married allowances for both income tax and national insurance contributions to £2,500 and £5,000, respectively; if he will provide an estimate of the number of adults and children taken out of benefit under the various headings; and how many would remain in receipt of benefit as a result of also raising child benefit to £15 and making it taxable.

    Mr. Major There would be a negligible effect on benefit expenditure and eligibility to benefit in 1987-88 as a result of changes in tax allowances, or changes in national insurance contributions in that year (there is, in any event, no single or married allowance for such contributions). It would be disproportionately costly to estimate the effect of raising child benefit to £15 and making it taxable.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on the Social Fund – 25 March 1987

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on the Social Fund on 25th March 1987.

    Mr. Hind Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he will issue the consultation document on the social fund.

    Mr. Major I have today sent to the local authority associations and to members of the SSAC for comment a draft of the proposed directions and guidance for social fund officers on the operation of the social fund from April 1988, and to national voluntary organisations and to professional bodies for information. I have placed a copy in the Library.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Maternity Payments – 25 March 1987

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Maternity Payments on 25th March 1987.

    Mr. Dubs Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many women in Putney received maternity allowance 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 April 1986, the latest year for which figures are available, 835 claims to maternity allowance were made at the Department’s office in Wandsworth which covers the constituency, although the boundaries are not conterminous.

    Mr. Dubs Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many women in Welwyn and Hatfield received maternity allowance 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 April 1986, the latest year for which figures are available, the following numbers of claims to maternity allowance were made at the Department’s offices which cover the constituency, although the boundaries are not conterminous.

    Area | Number
    Hatfield | 681
    Hertford | 1,067
    St. Albans | 1,056

    Mr. Dubs Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many women in Battersea received maternity allowance 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 April 1986, the latest year for which figures are available, the following numbers of claims to maternity allowance were made at the Department’s offices which cover the constituency although the boundaries are not conterminous:

    Area | Number
    Battersea (1) | n/a
    Balham (1) | n/a
    Wandsworth | 835

    (1) Claims for these offices are dealt with at Broadstairs outstation.
    A total of 3,703 claims were dealt with at that office but this total includes claims proper to other offices.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Death and Maternity Grants – 25 March 1987

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Death and Maternity Grants on 25th March 1987.

    Dr. Godman Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate how many claims for (a) death grant and (b) maternity grant were made at the Greenock and Port Glasgow Department of Health and Social Security offices during 1986 at the last complete year for which figures are available.

    Mr. Major The information requested concerning claims at these two social security offices is as follows:

    Greenock Port Glasgow

    (a) Death Grant | 1,462 367
    (b) Maternity Grant | 1,137 468

    The maternity grant figures quoted are for the 1986 calendar year; the death grant figures are those for the period 18 December 1985 to 16 December 1986.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Lung Cancer – 25 March 1987

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Lung Cancer on 25th March 1987.

    Mr. Blair Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when the regulations to introduce the prescribed disease disablement benefit scheme for those contracting lung cancer as a result of exposure to zinc chromate, calcium chromate, and strontium chromate dust will be laid before Parliament.

    Mr. Major I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Nuneaton (Mr. Stevens) on 4 March, at column 628.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Invalid Care Allowance – 25 March 1987

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Invalid Care Allowance on 25th March 1987.

    Sir Richard Body Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will give the reasons for the delay in payment of the invalid care allowance awarded from 9 September 1985 to Mrs. Carol Cubberley of Horncastle Road, Boston, reference number 021327.

    Mr. Major Mrs. Cubberley claimed invalid care allowance on 8 September 1986. Payment from that date was made on 17 November, but arrears from 22 December 1984 to 7 September 1986 were not paid until 20 March 1987. I regret the delay, which arose from a departmental error. Steps have been taken to minimise the risk of a similar mistake happening again.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on National Insurance Fund – 25 March 1987

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on National Insurance Fund on 25th March 1987.

    Mr. Austin Mitchell Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the current amount in the national insurance fund; and if any of the funds are re-invested.

    Mr. Major In the “Report by the Government Actuary on the drafts of the Social Security Benefits Uprating (No. 2) Order 1986 and the Social Security (Contributions, Re-rating) (No. 2) Order 1986” (Cm. 24) it is estimated that the total balance of the national insurance fund at the end of the 1986-87 financial year will be £5,617,000,000.

    The securities held by the National Investment and Loans Office on behalf of the fund are listed in the NI fund annual account (HC 103 published December 1986) and are almost entirely British Government Securities and loans to local authorities.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Maternity Payments – 24 March 1987

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Maternity Payments on 24th March 1987.

    Ms. Harman Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many women in London claimed maternity grant in (a) 1980, (b) 1981, (c) 1982, (d) 1983, (e) 1984, (f) 1985 and (g) 1986.

    Mr. Major It is estimated that the numbers of women who received the maternity grant in the Greater London council area in the years from 1980 to 1986 were as shown in the following table:

    Year | Number

    1980 | 81,500
    1981 | (1)
    1982 | 82,800
    1983 | 90,100
    1984 | 107,950
    1985 | 129,050
    1986 | 96,600 (2)

    (1) Because of industrial action, no figures arc held of the number of recipients in the year.
    (2) To September 1986 only, the latest date for which figures are available.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Severe Disability Premium – 24 March 1987

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Severe Disability Premium on 24th March 1987.

    Mr. Ashley Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he expects a reply will be sent to the letters from the Disablement Income Group to the Minister for Social Security and the Disabled dated 3 August and 29 December 1986, relating to the severe disability premium.

    Mr. Major I replied to the letter dated 3 August on 4 November. In response to the letter dated 29 December I met representatives from the Disablement Income Group and other organisations on 21 January and wrote again on 4 February.