Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Rent Rebates and Allowances on 25th July 1986.
Mr. Frank Field Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, pursuant to the answer of 3 June, Official Report, column 514, if he is yet able to give the information there sought by the hon. Member for Birkenhead.
Mr. Major I have written to the hon. Member today explaining the delay.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on British Pensioners (Poland) on 25th July 1986.
Mr. Normanton Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether any steps are being taken to ensure that naturalised Britons of Polish origin who have retired to Poland on British pensions can receive their pensions with annual adjustments to the pension.
Mr. Major We have no proposals for treating this group of pensioners differently from others who go abroad to live in countries with which the United Kingdom has not reached an agreement to provide for payment of pension upratings.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Unemployment Benefit on 25th July 1986.
Mr. Aspinwall Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people were in receipt of unemployment benefit within the county of Avon on 1 April and what was the comparable figure on 1 April 1980.
Mr. Major I shall write to my hon. Friend.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Medical Statements on 25th July 1986.
Mr. Dobson Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what advice has been given to his Department’s officers in relation to accepting claimants’ own word rather than demanding medical statements especially for weekly additional requirements.
Mr. Major Guidance on the circumstances in which doctor’s evidence is needed to support a claim is set out in paragraphs 4003-4005 of the S manual, a copy of which is in the Library.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Low Income Families on 25th July 1986.
Mrs. Currie Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he proposes to publish the low income families tables for 1983; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Major The tables have been placed in the Library of the House today.
Since the Government first came to office, the real value of supplementary benefit has risen by around 6 per cent., and by more for some families with children. Between the last two years in the tables the real rates rose by about 2+ per cent. Up to one third of the total increase in the number of families included in the tables is directly due to this improvement in the help provided for those most in need.
The technical assumptions underlying the low-income families tables have remained largely unaltered since the first analysis was undertaken. I have therefore set in train a technical review of the methods and assumptions on which the tables are based. Any improvements in measurement methods should be reflected in future issues of the tables. On the wider question of alternative approaches to the measurement of living standards, I refer my hon. Friend to the discussion in the Green Paper “Reform of Social Security” (Cmnd. 9519) Volume 3.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on School Leavers (Benefit) on 24th July 1986.
Mr. McLoughlin Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on the position of school leavers who claim social security benefit.
Mr. Major Guidance on the eligibility of school leavers for supplementary benefit is contained in the “S Manual”, paragraphs 225-2292, and in circular S51/85. I am aware that there has been some confusion following a decision by Social Security Commissioners last year which meant that certain young people who had always been regarded as still being at school for benefit purposes became eligible for supplementary benefit in their own right from Easter, with a concomitant loss of child benefit rights to their parents. There is also evidence that some children who have left school before the legal date may have been claiming benefit. The Government’s policy remains that young people who are (or should legally be) still completing their education should normally be treated as dependent upon their parents. We intend to refer to the Social Security Advisory Committee proposals to ensure that the law continues to reflect this intention.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Custodianship Allowances on 24th July 1986.
Mr. Wood Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what provision he intends to make for the treatment of custodianship allowances for supplementary benefit purposes.
Mr. Major We intend shortly to refer to the Social Security Advisory Committee proposals to improve the position of supplementary beneficiaries who are receiving local authority custodianship allowances, and of certain young people who may receive supplementary benefit while remaining in full-time non-advanced education. We are also considering the inclusion of a number of minor clarifications and adjustments in related provisions.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Housing Benefit on 24th July 1986.
Mr. Alton Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the ceiling on the rent which a landlord may charge where the rent is being paid via housing benefit.
Mr. Major The regulations do not specify a maximum allowable rent for housing benefit purposes, but if a rent is registered housing benefit is payable only on the registered rent. However, local authorities can in certain circumstances limit the amount of rent which is taken into account in calculating entitlement to housing benefit if they consider that the rent charged is unreasonable. We propose to strengthen local authorities’ powers to withhold benefit and that the Secretary of State should have a reserve power to limit the level of rent eligible for housing benefit.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on the Fuel Payment on 23rd July 1986.
Mr. Wigley Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish a table showing (a) the number of and (b) the total payments made during the first three months of the current year to help those on social security with fuel payments during periods of exceptionally severe weather, in each of the offices of his Department in Wales.
Mr. Major I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Greenock and Port Glasgow (Dr. Godman) on 18 July at column 663.
Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on the Darwen Caller Office on 23rd July 1986.
Mrs. Beckett Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether the north-west regional office of his Department has now received comments from all interested parties concerning the proposed closure of the Darwen caller office; what has been the general nature of those comments; and when a decision on the future of the office will be made.
Mr. Major Comments have been received from most of the interested parties who have been consulted. In general, they are concerned with the value of retaining a facility locally for face to face contact with the Department and the travelling difficulties which the public may encounter in visiting the main office in Blackburn, as well as the status of the town of Darwen.
A decision on the future of this caller office will be made soon.