The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

Category: 1983-1987 Parliament

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit – 18 April 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit on 18th April 1986.

    Mr. Frank Field Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many claims to supplementary benefit have been registered by young people at school studying for examinations during the summer term.

    Mr. Major This information is not available. Other than in exceptional circumstances, young people who are still attending school, as opposed to those who have left but still have exams to take, are unlikely to qualify for supplementary benefit.

    Mr. Frank Field Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he intends to produce an updated form FB20 on “Leaving School? A Pocket Guide to Social Security”.

    Mr. Major Leaflet FB20 is currently under review, and a revised version will be issued in due course.

    Mr. Frank Field Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many circulars outlining the rights of young people to supplementary benefit while they take their examinations have been produced following the commissioners’ decision on this subject; and to whom they have been sent.

    Mr. Major Two S circulars were issued following the commissioners’ decision on the entitlement of young people to supplementary benefit while they take their examinations. These circulars were sent in the normal way to DHSS local and regional offices, to the House of Commons Library, and to members of the public who subscribe to the S manual and circulars.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Small Businesses – 18 April 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Small Businesses on 18th April 1986.

    Mr. Watts Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the value of contracts placed by his Department with small businesses in each of the financial years since 1978-79; and what percentage of total expenditure on purchases of goods and services those amounts represented.

    Mr. Major I regret that information is not available in this form.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Single Payments – 18 April 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Single Payments on 18th April 1986.

    Mr. Gordon Brown Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give the latest estimate of the cost of payments made under the single payments regulations in 1985-86, and his estimate of the cost for 1986-87, taking into account the changes to be introduced to his new regulations.

    Mr. Major Figures for the full financial year 1985-86 are not yet available but expenditure for the period from 10 April 1985 to 11 March 1986 was £303 million.

    As announced on 24 February 1986 by my hon. Friend the Minister for Social Security in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Aldridge-Brownhills (Mr. Shepherd) at columns 476-78, our proposals for amending the rules for single payments, which are currently being considered by the Social Security Advisory Committee, are intended to bring expenditure back to around the 1984 level.

    Mr. Gordon Brown Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give the figure for the average payment made under the single payments regulations for claimants taking up a new tenancy; and what he estimates will be average payment in 1987.

    Mr. Major The annual statistical inquiry contains information about the average amount of single payments for specific items but does not separately identify payments for furniture to those taking up tenancies for the first time. I regret therefore the information requested is not available.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Departmental Circulars (Copyright) – 18 April 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Departmental Circulars (Copyright) on 18th April 1986.

    Mr. Kirkwood Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, pursuant to his answer of 25 March, Official Report, column 459, whether his Department is planning to put a cover charge on circulars; and what action he intends to take against people who breach copyright.

    Mr. Major There is no immediate intention to place a cover charge on health circulars issued by the Department of Health and Social Security. As regards action in breach of copyright cases, it could be for the Department to decide whether to proceed in any particular instance which in turn could consist of asking Her Majesty’s Stationery Office to deal with the offender on our behalf.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Benefits – 17 April 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Benefits on 17th April 1986.

    Mr. Wigley Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what was the per capita expenditure on social security benefits in England in the last year for which figures are available;

    (2) what was the per capita expenditure on social security benefits in Wales in the last year for which figures are available;

    (3) what was the per capita expenditure on social security benefits in Scotland in the last year for which figures are available;

    (4) what is the number of claimants for each benefit administered by the Department of Health and Social Security in Wales;

    (5) how many people are entitled to each of the benefit payments available through the Department of Health and Social Security in Wales; and what is the level of take-up.

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

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Housing Benefit – 14 April 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Housing Benefit on 14th April 1986.

    Mr. Alton Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the total amount paid in housing benefit via local authorities to claimants during 1985.

    Mr. Major Information about housing benefit expenditure is available only on the basis of financial years. Latest estimates available from local authorities subsidy claims indicate that authorities paid £4.2 billion in housing benefit in the year ending 31 March 1985 and £4.6 billion in the year ending 31 March 1986.

    Mr. Alton Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is satisfied with the administration of the housing benefit system.

    Mr. Major We believe that there is scope for improvement in the housing benefits scheme and its administration. Our proposals for reform include measures to simplify the system and to encourage and assist authorities to run the scheme as efficiently as possible.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Rents – 14 April 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Rents on 14th April 1986.

    Mr. Alton Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many tenants in receipt of housing benefit have had their rents registered with the rent officer.

    Mr. Major No information is available on the number of tenants in receipt of housing benefit whose rents are registered.

    Mr. Alton Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what measures he has taken to ensure that rents levied from tenants in receipt of housing benefit have been registered with the rent officer.

    Mr. Major Where there is a regulated tenancy, the local authority may apply to the rent officer for the registration of a fair rent. This is a matter for the authority concerned but it is not expected to apply for a rent to be registered simply because a claim for housing benefit has been made.

    Authorities also have the power under the housing benefit scheme to restrict the amount of rent eligible for benefit in certain circumstances if the local authority consider the rent is unreasonably high or the accommodation is unreasonably expensive.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Unemployment Benefit – 14 April 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Unemployment Benefit on 14th April 1986.

    Mr. Marlow Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what studies he carries out into the numbers of persons drawing unemployment benefit who are classed as suitable and competent to obtain available employment but who are not actively seeking to do so.

    Mr. Major The Department has not carried out any studies specifically into the extent to which unemployed benefit claimants are actively seeking work but a considerable volume of information on this subject is available from some more general studies. I would draw my hon. Friend’s attention in particular to the report on the DHSS cohort study of unemployed men, “For Richer, For Poorer?” (pages 40 to 43) and to the report on some aspects of the labour force survey (Employment Gazette for October 1985, pages 393 and 396), copies of which are in the Library.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Pensions and Benefits – 14 April 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Pensions and Benefits on 14th April 1986.

    Mr. Meacher Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been (a) the single person’s pension, (b) the married couple’s pension and (c) supplementary benefit scale rates for (i) a single person and (ii) a married couple as a proportion of national average earnings each year since 1979; and what information he has on comparable figures in France, Germany, the United States of America, Sweden, Italy and Belgium.

    Mr. Major Details of the rates of benefit and the amount of such rates expressed as a proportion of national average earnings are contained in the “Abstract of Statistics for Index of Retail Prices, Average Earnings, Social Security Benefits and Contributions” (tables 5.1, 5.6 and 5.7) a copy of which is in the Library.

    Such information as is available regarding benefits in France, Germany, Italy and Belgium is contained in the Department’s annual publication “Tables of Social Benefit Systems in the Member States of the European Communities, Portugal and Spain”. Copies are held in the Library for each year since 1973. I regret that information is not available which would enable reliable comparisons to be made to the national average wage in each member state of the European Community.

    For information on benefit levels in the United States of America, I refer the hon. Member to the Social Security Bulletin of January 1986, Vol. 49, No. 1, page 74, as issued by the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Information regarding Sweden as at 1 July 1984 is contained in the Council of Europe publication “Comparative Tables of the Social Security Systems in Council of Europe Member States not belonging to the European Communities”. Copies of both publications are in the Library. I regret that there is no information readily available regarding Sweden for earlier years.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit – 14 April 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit on 14th April 1986.

    Mr. Wareing Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what proportion of supplementary benefit claimants at the Westminster office of his Department in Regency street, London, are normally permanently resident in (a) Liverpool and (b) Merseyside; what are the numbers involved; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr. Major I regret this information is not available.

    Mr. Leighton Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many children in the London borough of Newham are in families on supplementary benefit now; and what were the comparable figures in 1979.

    Mr. Major In the year ended December 1984, the latest for which information is available, there were approximately 13,000 children in families on supplementary benefit in the London borough of Newham. A comparable figure for 1979 is not available.