The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

Category: 1983-1987 Parliament

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Press Office (Information) – 27 March 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Press Office (Information) on 27th March 1986.

    Mrs. Renée Short Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what guidelines are issued by the press office of his Department to managers of his Department’s local offices in respect of communicating information to journalists.

    Mr. Major Social security local office managers are encouraged to maintain contact with their local press and, within the strict constraints of claimant confidentiality, to provide information about the social security system and the work of their offices.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Departmental Office (Regent Street) – 27 March 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Departmental Office (Regent Street) on 27th March 1986.

    Mr. Wareing Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when the Minister for Social Security and the Disabled is expected to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Liverpool, West Derby of 13 February on the work of the Westminster office of the Department of Health and Social Security in Regent Street.

    Mr. Major I replied to the hon. Member today.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on War Pensions – 26 March 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on War Pensions on 26th March 1986.

    Mrs. Renée Short Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many second world war ex-service men have, during the last five years, had their pensions backdated resulting from new discoveries as to the cause of injuries suffered during their active service in 1939-45; how far they have been backdated; and how much Second World War ex-service men currently receive as a war pension for damage to eyes.

    Mr. Major The information about backdated pensions is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The amount of war pension for damage to eyes depends upon the extent of the damage. The current pension for loss of vision of one eye, without complications or disfigurement and the other being normal, is £18.75 a week. Pension for total loss of sight is £62.50 a week. Supplementary war pension allowances may be payable in addition to these amounts.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Mr J Edwards – 26 March 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Mr J Edwards on 26th March 1986.

    Mr. Ashley Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in the Official Report the reasons why the war pension case of Mr. J. Edwards of Stoke on Trent, which was referred to his Department in October 1985, has not yet been resolved.

    Mr. Major On 27 January 1986 Mr. Edwards and the Department made a joint application to the president of the pensions appeal tribunals for the decision of the tribunal in Mr. Edwards’ case to be set aside. The president advised Mr. Edwards and the Department of his decision on 6 February 1986. There is no further action for the Department to take in this matter.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Mr LH Hulley – 26 March 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Mr LH Hulley on 26th March 1986.

    Mr. Heddle Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will investigate the reason why the Department of Health and Social Security records division at Newcastle upon Tyne has not yet replied to a letter dated 22 January from Mr. L. H. Hulley of 48 Burnthill Lane, Rugeley requesting details of contributions paid from April 1974 to April 1977.

    Mr. Major It is the responsibility of DHSS local office staff to deal with inquiries of this nature. The letter dated 22 January was received by DHSS records branch Newcastle on 24 January and forwarded to the DHSS local office at Cannock to answer. After inquiries were made a reply was issued on 18 March 1986.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Crown Copyright – 25 March 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Crown Copyright on 25th March 1986.

    Mr. Kirkwood Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services why he has arranged for the footnote © crown copyright to appear on certain recent circulars from his Department; and whether this illustrates a general change of policy.

    Mr. Major This inclusion of the © Crown copyright legend on circulars issued by the Department of Health and Social Security follows recent correspondence from HMSO which acted as a reminder that all material published by Government is Crown copyright.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on National Insurance Contributions – 25 March 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on National Insurance Contributions on 25th March 1986.

    Mr. Austin Mitchell Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what would be the estimated cost to the Exchequer in 1986-87 of a reduction in national insurance contributions for employees of 1 per cent. of relevant earnings.

    Mr. Major On the basis of the assumptions set out in his report on the draft of the Social Security (Contributions, Re-rating) Order 1985, the Government Actuary estimates that a reduction of 1 per cent. in the primary contribution rates would produce a loss of revenue amounting to £1,290 million in 1986-87.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit – 25 March 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit on 25th March 1986.

    Mr. Marlow Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the numbers of people in receipt of supplementary benefit who are of working age, are not disabled and are not actively seeking work.

    Mr. Major This information is not collected by the Department.

    Mr. Leighton Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many households in the London borough of Newham receive supplementary benefit; what were the numbers in each of the last six years; and what percentage of the total number of such households the latest figure represents.

    Mr. Major The London borough of Newham is covered by three of the Departments offices, Canning Town, Plaistow and Woodgrange park, but their boundaries are not conterminous.

    Information about the number of households receiving supplementary benefit is not available. The following figures show the total number of people claiming supplementary benefit from those offices at 11 February 1986 and at comparable dates for the last six years. There will in some circumstances be more than one claimant in a household.

    Years | Numbers

    1980 | 17,113

    1981 | 19,643

    1982 | 23,853

    1983 | 26,788

    1984 | 28,127

    1985 | 30,552

    1986 | 31,897

    This Department has no information on the total number of households in Newham.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on War Pensioners – 25 March 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on War Pensioners on 25th March 1986.

    Mr. Gerald Howarth Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the present number of war pensioners; and if he has any plans to increase the disregard from the current level of £4.

    Mr. Major It is estimated that 206,400 war disablement pensions, 61,350 war widows pensions and 5,290 other war pensions were being paid in the United Kingdom at the end of December 1985. We have no current plans to increase the supplementary benefit disregard of £4 week.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Severe Weather Payments – 25 March 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Severe Weather Payments on 25th March 1986.

    Mr. Strang Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has made any estimate of the numbers of households likely to be eligible for exceptionally severe weather payments following the cold February weather; and if he will estimate the likely total cost of the payments.

    Mr. Major It is not possible to make a reliable estimate at this stage. Information about numbers and costs will be collected when the period during which payments are likely to arise is over.