Category: 1983-1987 Parliament

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Energy Saving on 6th April 1987.

Mr. Patrick Thompson Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what arrangements he has made to ensure his free-phone DHSS service can promote the work of local neighbourhood energy action projects by way of local referrals;
(2) what plans he has to ensure that those claiming severe weather payments can also claim single payments for draught-proofing where the work can be done by local neighbourhood energy action groups.

Mr. Major [pursuant to his reply, 4 March 1987, c. 624–25]: People who ring the Department’s free-phone service are informed of the availability of single payments for draught-proofing materials where appropriate. In addition two leaflets (SB16 and SB17) refer to the availability of such single payments. One of these, entitled “Help with Heating Costs” specifically mentions the work of voluntary organisations in this area.

Whilst there are at present no special arrangements to promote the work of local neighbourhood energy action groups, officials are, in consultation with national charities looking at what might be done in this respect.

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on the Attendance Allowance on 6th April 1987.

Mr. Colvin Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his policy concerning the availability of attendance allowance for people using self-care renal dialysis units in hospital.

Mr. Major I am pleased to announce that we intend to make attendance allowance available to people using self-care dialysis units on hospital sites on the same basis as is available to those who dialyse at home.

At present there are only a small number of such self-care units, in hospitals in the Wessex Region, where they are perceived to be an acceptable and economical way of enabling people with kidney failure to dialyse just as they would in their own homes, with assistance from another person who is not employed by the hospital. At present these people are denied attendance allowance.

We think it is wrong that the attendance allowance regulations should inhibit what some doctors believe to be a helpful extension in the availability of renal dialysis, unforeseen when the regulations were drafted. We shall therefore bring forward an amendment to the regulations following formal consultation with the Attendance Allowance Board.

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on the Death Grant on 6th April 1987.

Ms. Harman Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many death grant payments were made in the London borough of Southwark in each of the last three years; and how many of those who received the payments will be eligible for the new means tested death grant;
(2) what information he has as to what percentage of the residents of the London borough of Southwark will be eligible for the new means tested death grant.

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

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit on 6th April 1987.

Mr. Clay Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in the Official Report a table which provides the same information on supplementary benefit single payments for the same time period for each year since 1979 as that provided in his reply of 17 March to the hon. Member for Stockton, North (Mr. Cook) Official Report, columns 479-80.

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 Social Security (Expenditure) on 6th April 1987.

Mr. Clay Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will provide a breakdown of the rise in real expenditure on social security between 1978–79 and 1986–87 in the same form as the table in the Government’s “Expenditure Plans 1987-88 to 1989-90” II, Cm. 56, page 248, paragraph 39.

Mr. Major Over the period 1978-79 to 1986-87 the social security programme increased by £12.5 billion (at 1986-87 prices) or by 39 per cent. in real terms. The main reasons for the increase were:

(i) £4.75 billion due to real increases in the average amounts of benefit paid (whether due to changes in the basic rate of benefit or other factors);
(ii) £2 billion due to increased numbers of retirement pensioners:
(iii) £1.75 billion due to increased numbers receiving disability benefits;
(iv) £4.25 billion due to increased numbers of unemployed people receiving benefit;
(v) £1 billion due to increased numbers of single parents receiving benefit:
(vi) £0.5 billion reflecting the increased costs of administering a larger number of claims for benefits;
offset by reductions of:
(vii) £1.25 billion reflecting the introduction of statutory sick pay and a decrease in the incidence of short term sickness;
(viii) £0.5 billion from reductions in the numbers of widows and children.

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Artificial Limbs and Appliances on 3rd April 1987.

Mr. Alfred Morris Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations his Department has received from the Muscular Dystrophy Group of Great Britain and Northern Ireland concerning the Government’s decisions on the future of the services provided by artificial limb and appliance centres; what reply has been sent; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Major The Muscular Dystrophy Group of Great Britain and Northern Ireland submitted a detailed response to the McColl report on artificial limb and appliance centre services immediately following its publication. Since then, its view that the recommendation to provide dual-purpose powered wheelchairs should be implemented as a matter of urgency has been the subject of a number of letters received from local branches of the group. In addition, on 7 May 1986, my predecessor accepted a petition from Sir Richard Attenborough, the president of the group, in support of this request.

On the specific point of dual-purpose powered wheelchairs the Muscular Dystrophy Group has been advised that there are major cost considerations still to be resolved and that a final decision has not yet been made.

On the wider issue of the future of the artificial limb and appliance centre services, I refer the right hon. Member to my statement to the House on 10 March 1987 at columns 149-51.

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Cold Weather Payments on 2nd April 1987.

Mrs. Beckett Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the estimated cost of administering cold weather payments for the period January to March 1987, assuming maximum take-up; and how much was spent on publicising these payments.

Mr. Major [pursuant to his reply, 30 March 1987, c. 412]: The full cost of advertising and administering the exceptionally cold weather scheme in the current year will be assessed at the end of the winter period. However, total advertising costs for January 1987 were about £670,000.

Additional manpower in the form of 300 overtime man-years was allocated to local offices to help process cold weather claims at a cost of some £4 million. Extra travel and subsistence in connection with overtime working and increased postage costs were also incurred.

Mrs. Beckett Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many cold weather payments have been made in 1987, in each week for which information is available, to claimants in each of the categories (a) over 65 years (b) chronically sick or disabled and (c) with a child under the age of two years.

Mr. Major [pursuant to his reply, 30 March 1987, c. 412]: Information is not available in the form requested. However, up to 24 February 1987, the latest date for which figures are available, approximately 1.9 million exceptionally cold weather £5 payments were made at a cost of £9.5 million.

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on the Retirement Pension on 2nd April 1987.

Mr. Knox Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the percentage increase in the state retirement pension in each year since 1979.

Mr. Major I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to the hon. Member for Oldham, West (Mr. Meacher) on 27 February at columns 444–47.

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on National Insurance Contributions on 2nd April 1987.

Mr. Hancock Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people currently make national insurance contributions.

Mr. Major The most recent available information is that 23,603,000 people in the United Kingdom paid at least one national insurance contribution during 1984-85.

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Orthotic Services on 2nd April 1987.

Mr. Alfred Morris Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations his Department has received from the director of the disabilities study unit concerning the future of orthotic services; what reply is being sent; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Major The director of the disabilities study unit has written to me about “A Future for the Orthotic Services”, the report of a working party set up by the Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation. I have told the director that we are anxious to ensure that the orthotic service should cater for patient needs in a cost effective way which would at the same time provide a good standard of service for patients. We are considering how best to take this forward.