Category: 1983-1987 Parliament

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Climatic Variability on 10th February 1987.

Mr. Wareing Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what plans he has to implement the recommendations relating to his responsibilities in the report “Social and Economic Responses to Climatic Variability” al the United Kingdom.

Mr. Major [pursuant to his reply, 27 January 1987, c. 233]: The report recommends that elderly people in danger from the cold should be made aware of the risks and sensible precautions publicised. The Health Education Council, funded by the Government, makes available each year, in conjunction with Age Concern, an information leaflet for elderly people containing simple, practical advice on keeping warm. The council has also recently launched a comprehensive pack of training and information materials on this subject for those in contact with elderly people. We believe that health and social services staff and voluntary organisations will find this initiative helpful. The report also recommends better targeting of the money available for heating additions. We believe that this will be achieved through the new income support scheme, which will provide help more directly through the premiums to those groups in greatest need. The new supplementary benefit exceptionally cold weather scheme also concentrates help on those most at risk from the cold, and on those parts of the country which are actually coldest.

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Benefits on 10th February 1987.

Mr. Fatchett Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people in the Leeds metropolitan district council area have been in receipt of (a) supplementary benefit, (b) invalidity benefit and (c) housing benefit for each of the last five years.

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

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Bath Additions on 10th February 1987.

Mr. Meacher Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he proposes to amend paragraph 4531 of the “S manual” to restrict bath additions for people in need of more than one bath a week; and if he will make a statement;
(2) if he has any plans to restrict bath additions to people in need of more than one bath a week; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Major Supplementary benefit legislation provides that additional supplementary benefit for baths is payable in respect of any person who on medical grounds needs more than one bath a week. There are no plans to amend that provision prior to the introduction of the new income support scheme. Guidance to the independent adjudication officers on the interpretation of the legislation is the responsibility of the chief adjudication officer. I understand that he is reviewing the guidance contained in paragraph 4531 of the “S manual”, in the light of recent advice that incontinence may not be medical grounds justifying additional benefit for baths within the terms of the legislation. He is awaiting decisions on two appeals to the Social Security Commissioners before considering whether to amend the “S manual”, but he has issued guidance based on the new advice in answer to individual enquiries from adjudication officers who are responsible for deciding entitlement on the facts of each case.

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on the Social Security Budget on 10th February 1987.

Mr. Kirkwood Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what have been the reductions in the social security budget since 1979 caused by the changes in the bases of calculation of various benefits.

Mr. Major There have been a substantial number of changes to the benefit structure since 1979, some increasing and some decreasing expenditure. Because there was never a rigid set of rules for the uprating of benefits, it is not possible to say what expenditure would now have been, had these changes not been made, nor is it possible to assess the effect of individual changes in isolation.

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Sheltered Accommodation on 10th February 1987.

Mr. Andrew Bowden Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what regulations he proposes to make to render assistance to supplementary benefit recipients who are long-leaseholders of sheltered accommodation under the Social Security Act 1986.

Mr. Major The proposed provisions for long-leaseholders under the Social Security Act 1986 will broadly mirror those in the present supplementary benefit and housing benefit schemes. We plan to lay the income support and housing benefit regulations in April this year for implementation in April 1988.

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on the Heating Allowance on 10th February 1987.

Mr. Bill Walker Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give details of the number of pensioners in Scotland who are in receipt of heating allowance.

Mr. Major In 1984, the latest year for which information is available, a total of 141,000 (1) supplementary pensioners in Scotland received a heating addition.

(1) Source: 1984 Annual Statistical Inquiry (figure has been rounded to the nearest 1,000).

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Battery-Powered Wheelchairs on 10th February 1987.

Mr. Flannery Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has yet decided on a date to make public his decisions regarding the recommendations of the McColl committee on dual purpose battery-powered wheelchairs.

Mr. Major I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the right hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, South (Mr. Ashley) on 29 January 1987.

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Board and Lodging Regulations on 10th February 1987.

Ms. Clare Short Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will now abolish the time limits imposed on under 26-year-olds in the board and lodging regulations; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Major These limits were introduced to contain escalating expenditure and curb abuse. We have published a consultative document proposing a simpler, more coherent system for payments to boarders while tackling effectively the problems of incentives and maintaining proper financial controls. These proposals could not be introduced before the new income support scheme in April 1988.

Mr. Caborn Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services in how many cases the time limits imposed by the board and lodging regulations were waived because of the severe weather.

Mr. Major A wide range of factors is taken into account in exercising the discretionary power to exempt individuals from the time limits. Severe weather was put forward as a reason for exemption in only one case which was subsequently successful.

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Severe Weather Payments on 10th February 1987.

Mr. Geraint Howells Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is satisfied with the present form of the exceptionally severe weather payments system; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Major Yes. The new arrangements are a significant improvement on previous schemes for exceptionally severe weather payments, in terms of simplicity, comprehensibility and certainty of payment. From 26 January we have changed the qualifying temperature from minus 1.5 deg C to 0 deg C over a fixed seven-day period. Under the revised arrangement help for vulnerable groups during exceptionally cold weather can be expected to be given more often than under any previous system. The review now provides the most generous system ever for helping vulnerable groups during exceptionally cold weather.

Ms. Richardson Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average time before payment of the severe weather allowance, once payment has been triggered for a given area.

Mr. Major Information on clearance times for exceptionally cold weather claims is not available.
However, local offices have been instructed to give priority to cold weather payments and to deal with claims immediately on receipt.

Mr. Rogers Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services in how many of the chosen weather stations the severe weather payments trigger temperature of minus 1.5 deg C was achieved in the weeks 5 to 11 January and 12 January to 18 January.

Mr. Major In the week 5 to 11 January, one weather station achieved the trigger temperature of minus 1.5 deg C. In the week 12 to 18 January, 48 weather stations achieved that temperature.

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Pensioners on 10th February 1987.

Mr. Adley Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services by how many the total number of pensioners eligible for state pension has changed since 1979; and what this change represents as a percentage of the total cost of the state pension.

Mr. Major There are about 1 million more retirement pensioners now than in November 1978. This increase accounts for nearly 11 per cent. of total spending on state retirement pension in the current financial year.