The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

Category: 1983-1987 Parliament

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on SERPS – 9 March 1987

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on SERPS on 9th March 1987.

    Mr. Meacher Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will set out combined employer and employee national insurance contribution rates for financing the state earnings-related pension scheme for each five years up to 2050, on assumptions of both a price-indexed and earnings-indexed annual increase in the basic retirement pension, and assuming a growth rate in the economy of (a) 1.5 per cent. and (b) 3 per cent. per year; and if he will provide these tables on the basis that (i) the state earnings-related pension scheme is unchanged and (ii) the state earnings-related pension scheme is amended in accordance with the Social Security Act 1986.

    Mr. Major I refer the hon. Member to my reply to him on 8 April 1986, at column 86 and to table 5 in the Government Actuary’s report on the Social Security Bill 1986 (Cmnd. 9711). The estimates of combined national insurance rates published in these were based on assumptions of real earnings, and not on growth in the economy, as real earnings is the relevant economic factor. Additional projections at five-yearly intervals could be produced only at disproportionate cost.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Board and Lodging Payments – 9 March 1987

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Board and Lodging Payments on 9th March 1987.

    Mrs. Beckett Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what action he will take to ensure that arrears of supplementary benefit are paid to all claimants who were affected by the freeze on board and lodging payments imposed on 20 December 1984.

    Mr. Major I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Bury, South (Mr. Sumberg) on 6 March at columns 724–25.

    Mrs. Beckett Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many claimants were affected by the freeze on board and lodging payments between 20 December 1984 and 28 April 1985; and how many of them are still affected as a result of the transitional protection given by regulation 9(17) of the Supplementary Benefit (Requirements) Regulations 1983.

    Mr. Major The number affected is roughly estimated to be about 20,000. It is not known how many will be entitled to transitional protection.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on the Community Programme – 6 March 1987

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on the Community Programme on 6th March 1987.

    Ms. Clare Short Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will provide full details of how he arrived at the estimate that allowing participants on the community programme to claim unemployment benefit would cost £2 million per week.

    Mr. Major It is impossible to be precise about the benefit cost of allowing people working part time in the community programme to receive unemployment benefit for the days on which they do not work and in my statement on 3 March I referred to expenditure of “around £2 million a week”. The actual cost would depend upon the numbers of part timers who had underlying title to UB, had exhausted entitlement, were able to requalify by virtue of the CP work, would in fact be available for work on the days in question and indeed on whether people would choose to claim for these days, bearing in mind that in most cases part-time earnings would be considerably higher than benefit entitlement before joining the scheme. Information is not available on many of these points. £2 million is an approximate mid-point between best and worst assumptions.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Personal Pensions – 6 March 1987

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Personal Pensions on 6th March 1987.

    Mr. McCrindle Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) when he expects to be able to publish details of the charges that institutions can make when providing personal pensions; and if he will make a statement:
    (2) when he expects to be able to publish details of the information which must be provided to employees interested in taking a personal pension; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr. Major We shall make an announcement as soon as possible.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Residential Homes – 6 March 1987

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Residential Homes on 6th March 1987.

    Mr. Meacher Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has any plans to change the amounts of capital disregarded when elderly people enter (a) private residential homes, assisted by his Department’s board and lodging payments or otherwise and (b) residential homes owned by local authorities.

    Mr. Major The present rules are that residents in private and voluntary homes can claim supplementary benefit if their capital assets are not more than £3,000. When income support is introduced in 1988 new rules will apply. The capital cut-off point will increase from £3,000 to £6,000 but with a tariff income assumed of £1 for every band of £250 between £3,000 to £6,000. The joint central and local government working party on supplementary benefit and residential care, which is considering means of harmonising financial support for people in residential care homes, is also considering the future arrangements for financial assessment. Its report is expected at Easter.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Self-Employed (National Insurance) – 5 March 1987

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Self-Employed (National Insurance) on 5th March 1987.

    Ms. Clare Short Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many individuals have paid self-employed national insurance contributions in each year since 1979.

    Mr. Major The information is as follows:

    Year | Persons paying Class 2 (self-employed) NI Contributions (in thousands)
    1979-80 | 1,608
    1980-81 | 1,661
    1981-82 | 1,697
    1982-83 | 1,766
    1983-84 | 1,845

    Notes:

    1. Final figures are not available for later years. The Government Actuary has estimated that currently about 2 million people in the United Kingdom are paying self-employed national insurance contributions.
    2. Self-employed people with profits above the lower profits limit are liable to pay class 4 contributions in addition to class 2. Precise information on the numbers involved is not available but it is estimated that between 1.25 and 1.5 million people are currently liable to pay class 4 contributions.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Invalid Care Allowance – 5 March 1987

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Invalid Care Allowance on 5th March 1987.

    Mr. Ashley Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many married women have claimed invalid care allowance; how many claims have been settled; and what is the average length of time taken to settle each claim.

    Mr. Major As at 27 February, some 106,000 claims to invalid care allowance had been received from married women of which about 53,000 had been decided. The average time taken to process a claim is currently 20 weeks. We are taking all practical steps to reduce this period.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Maternity Payments – 4 March 1987

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Maternity Payments on 4th March 1987.

    Mr. Corbyn Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many women in Islington, North claimed the maternity grant in the last year for which figures are available.

    Mr. Major Information is not available in the precise form requested. The Islington, North constituency is covered by the Department’s local offices at Finsbury Park, Highgate and Hoxton, although their boundaries are not conterminous with the constituency. The numbers of claims for maternity grant received at those local offices during the 1986 calendar year were as follows:

    Area | Number
    Finsbury Park | 1,318
    Highgate | 1,656
    Hoxton | 321

    Mr. Corbyn Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many women in Islington, North 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 Islington, North, although the boundaries are not conterminous:

    Area | Number
    Finsbury Park | 1,209
    Highgate | 1,105
    Hoxton | 695

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Energy Saving – 4 March 1987

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Energy Saving on 4th March 1987.

    Mr. Patrick Thompson Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what plans he has to ensure local health authority tenants are fully aware of the single payments for draught-proofing currently provided by his Department.

    Mr. Major Single payments for draught-proofing materials are available only to people entitled to supplementary benefit. Most health authority tenants are employed by the authority and are not therefore eligible for such payments.

    Mr. Patrick Thompson Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what arrangements he has made to ensure his Freephone DHSS service can promote the work of local neighbourhood energy action projects by way of local referrals;
    (2) what plans he has to ensure that those claiming severe weather payments can also claim single payments for draught-proofing where the work can be done by local neighbourhood energy action groups.

    Mr. Major I shall let my hon. Friend have replies as soon as possible.

    Mr. Patrick Thompson Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what arrangements he has made to promote the Energy Efficiency Office’s Monergy Save Freepost and Monergy Linkline service to claimants of supplementary and other benefits.

    Mr. Major The Monergy hotline and freepost services are available to everyone, not just those in receipt of supplementary benefit and other benefits. Both services have been widely advertised in national and local newspapers and special promotional activities, and the hotline has also been advertised on national television.

    Mr. Patrick Thompson Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what plans he has to introduce a specific scheme to replace single payments for draught-proofing.

    Mr. Major I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to the hon. Member for Leeds, Central (Mr. Fatchett) on 13 January 1987 at column 170.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on National Disability Income – 4 March 1987

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on National Disability Income on 4th March 1987.

    Mr. Ashley Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his policy towards a national disability income, and whether he has any proposals to introduce changes in social security provision affecting disabled people.

    Mr. Major The Government are aware of the case made for a national disability income and share the underlying aim of progress towards a more coherent system of benefits for long-term sick and disabled people as resources permit. However, it would be inappropriate to make significant changes to existing benefit provision in advance of results of the survey of disabled people currently being carried out by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys. The results of the survey are expected to be published in 1988 and will provide the evidence for a comprehensive review of benefits for long-term sick and disabled people.