The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

Category: 1983-1987 Parliament

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Benefits (Coventry) – 9 May 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Benefits (Coventry) on 9th May 1986.

    Mr. Park Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many tenants in no-fines dwellings in the Coventry North-East constituency are in receipt of additional heating allowances.

    Mr. Major I regret that the information requested is not available.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Board and Lodging Payments – 6 May 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Board and Lodging Payments on 6th May 1986.

    Mr. Meacher Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the average length of waiting time between application and receipt for board and lodging payments at his Department’s Regency Street, London office; and what was the national average for (a) 1985 and (b) each month of 1986.

    Mr. Major I regret that no information is available centrally on the average length of waiting time between application and receipt for board and lodging payments. Individual statistics on these cases are not kept routinely so that information could be obtained only by a special exercise which would be disproportionately expensive.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Re-establishment Centres – 6 May 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Re-establishment Centres on 6th May 1986.

    Sir David Price Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what progress he is making with the proposed transfer of re-establishment centres to the Manpower Services Commission and to other suitable agencies; and if he will make a statement;

    (2) when he expects to be able to reply to the Second Report from the Social Services Committee, Session 1985-86, on resettlement units and re-establishment centres;

    (3) when he expects to be able to announce the future of his Department’s resettlement unit in Southampton; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr. Major There is no proposition to transfer re-establishment centres to the Manpower Services Commission. We are considering the extent to which the range of help available to the long-term unemployed duplicates the facilities available to re-establishment centre users. We shall then make a final decision about the future of the re-establishment centres. The community programme, for example, is to be increased to 255,000 places by November 1986. By March 1987 this improved provision should make it possible to assist all the long-term unemployed as they reach 12 months unemployment. Each person referred to a Manpower Services Commission employment adviser will have an initial interview at which the availability of jobs and Me appropriateness of training will be considered. Links between employment advisers and DHSS unemployment review officers will be strengthened to match people with the most suitable Manpower Services Commission programme.

    I hope to be able to reply shortly to the second report from the Social Services Committee, Session 1985-86. In so far as the resettlement unit in Southampton is concerned, no decisions have yet been made. Regionally-based teams have been asked to report on alternative provision for all DHSS resettlement units and their findings will be discussed and the issues drawn together at a national resettlement conference on 3 June. The views of the conference on the criteria against which individual proposals should be judged will be available to Ministers when they consider the regional reports.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Unemployment Benefit – 6 May 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Unemployment Benefit on 6th May 1986.

    Sir Russell Johnston Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the rate of unemployment benefit in April in each of the years 1980 to 1985.

    Mr. Major I refer the hon. Member to the publication “Social Security Statistics 1985”, a copy of which is in the Library.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit – 6 May 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit on 6th May 1986.

    Mr. Frank Field Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what reciprocal arrangements with Northern Ireland have been made under section 31 of the Supplementary Benefits Act 1976.

    Mr. Major None. It has not been necessary to make use of this power since problems which have arisen over co-ordination with the Northern Ireland system of supplementary benefits have been resolved by other means.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Computers – 6 May 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Computers on 6th May 1986.

    Mr. Meacher Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what guidelines Her Majesty’s Government is issuing on inter-departmentally linked computer-held information in the light of the White Paper plans for up-dating the Department of Health and Social Security system; and who will have access to the up-dated computers in the Department of Health and Social Security and under what circumstances.

    Mr. Major There are no current plans to issue guidelines on inter-departmentally linked computer-held information in the light of the White Paper plans to update the Department’s computer systems. We have firm plans to link with only one other Department – the Department of Employment. The two Departments already work closely together, using computerised systems, for the provision of social security benefits. The Department of Employment acts as agent for the DHSS in the payment of unemployment benefit and supplementary allowance for the unemployed and this Department has responsibility for the two unemployment benefit computer centres at Reading and Livingston.

    The new computerisation plans involving the two Departments include the provision of terminals and visual display units in local unemployment benefit offices, providing staff there with a direct link to these two mainframe computers –previously they were linked by the overnight telegraph system. The terminals and VDUs are currently being installed, in an average of 10 new offices a week, on a rolling programme stretching into 1987. This new facility allows unemployment benefit staff to input, amend and update claims immediately, and gives them instant information to answer benefit claimants’ inquiries.

    This system also provides access to the DHSS general index for the purpose of tracing national insurance numbers necessary in the processing of an unemployment benefit claim. This facility will be retained when the general index is absorbed into the new departmental central index which is to be developed from 1988.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on National Insurance Contributions – 6 May 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on National Insurance Contributions on 6th May 1986.

    Mr. Meacher Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will set out in a table the national insurance contributions liability at its weekly equivalent of (a) contracted-in employees through class 1,(b) contracted-out employees through class 1 and (c) self-employed people through class 2 contributions and class 4 contributions net of tax relief, in 1986-87, assuming their income is at the following constant levels throughout the year (i) £38, £60, £95, £285, and £1,000 per week, (ii) £2,075 and £4,450 per year and (iii) 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 times average female earnings and 0.5, 0.75 and 1.5 times average male earnings, respectively, and at the minimum level of income to benefit in full from the tax relief on class 4 contributions at 40 per cent., 45 per cent., 50 per cent., 55 per cent., and 60 per cent. as a single person with no other tax allowances;

    (2) what would be the current level of class 2 national insurance contributions if they had not been reduced in October 1985 and if they had been increased in April 1986 in line with the usual formula; and at that level what would be the extra income to the national insurance fund or the Exchequer;

    (3) what level of class 2 and class 4 contributions would be necessary to ensure that the self-employed paid the full actuarial cost of the benefits which they receive;

    (4) what would be the gain to the national insurance fund or the Exchequer of removing the upper earnings limit from national insurance payments for the self-employed (a) with present tax relief and (b) without it;

    (5) what would be the gain to the national insurance fund or the Exchequer of removing the upper earnings limit for class 1 national insurance contributions; and what reduction could be made in the standard rate of contribution using that gain;

    (6) what would be the gain to the national insurance fund or the Exchequer of removing the reduced rates of national insurance for very low earners, in such a way that the full rate of contribution were payable down to the lower earnings limit.

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

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Ethnic Survey – 6 May 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Ethnic Survey on 6th May 1986.

    Mr. Meacher Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he intends to produce guidelines for the recording of ethnic origin with details of individual social security claims; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr. Major We have no intention of producing guidelines for the recording of the ethnic origin of claimants as part of social security claims procedures. This is not information which claimants are required to furnish before their claim is determined by the adjudication officer.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit – 2 May 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit on 2nd May 1986.

    Mr. Frank Field Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the cost to his Department of issuing a leaflet to every young person sitting general certificate of education or certificate of secondary education examinations explaining the conditions under which they may claim supplementary benefit, in the light of the decision of the tribunal of commissioners R(F)2/85.

    Mr. Major It is not usual to issue leaflets which provide full details of complex conditions of entitlement. However, the basic cost of a leaflet for young people sitting examinations would be some £40,000 plus distribution costs which would be relatively high since there is no mechanism for such a distribution.

    Mr. Frank Field Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement as to when a young person who is 16 years old after 1 February but attends school in the current term just to take examinations is entitled to supplementary benefit, following the decision of the tribunal of commissioners R(F)2/85 and circular S51/85.

    Mr. Major Such a decision is a matter for the independent adjudicating authorities.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Cookers (Suppliers) – 2 May 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Cookers (Suppliers) on 2nd May 1986.

    Mr. Clelland Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the names of suppliers of reconditioned cookers, paid by his Department’s offices on behalf of claimants, in the Newcastle area over the past three years, together with the total sums paid to each supplier over the same period.

    Mr. Major I regret this information is not available.