The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

Category: 1983-1987 Parliament

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Finsbury Park and Archway – 19 November 1985

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Finsbury Park and Archway on 19th November 1985.

    Mr. Corbyn Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the numbers of claimants at the Finsbury Park and Archway offices of his Department in receipt of (a) supplementary benefit and (b) single payments for furniture in September of each year since 1979.

    Mr. Major The table shows the number of claimants receiving supplementary benefit from the Department’s offices at Finsbury Park and Archway on 30 July 1985 – the latest available figures – and at comparative dates in each of the preceding five years. Figures for 1979 are not now available.

    Year | Finsbury Park | Archway (Highgate)

    1980 | 10,143 | 11,775

    1981 | 12,859 | 13,981

    1982 | 15,215 | 16,679

    1983 | 15,929 | 16,276

    1984 | 17,507 | 17,072

    1985 | 18,023 | 18,332

    Source 100 per cent. count of cases in action.

    Information is not available from which reliable estimates could be made of the number of single payments made for furniture by individual offices for any period. Statistics are collected monthly on the total number of all single payments made by each office and although later information for these offices is available, for comparison purposes details of awards of all single payments for the 4 week period ending 30 July 1985 and of the same periods in the preceding five years are given as follows:

    Year | Finsbury Park | Archway (Highgate)

    1980 | 245 | 242

    1981 | 175 | 178

    1982 | 224 | 167

    1983 | 342 | 236

    1984 | 324 | 348

    1985 | 723 | 481

    Figures for 1979 are not now available.

    Note: Since April 1984 the basis of counting single payment awards has changed. Now unsuccessful claims and separate payments made simultaneously to the same beneficiary but under different single payment regulations are also included.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on the Woolwich Office – 19 November 1985

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on the Woolwich Office on 19th November 1985.

    Mr. Cartwright Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what computer facilities are available at his Department’s Woolwich office.

    Mr. Major In accordance with the Department’s operational strategy seven British Telecom microcomputer systems have been installed to deal with supplementary benefit work and will be in operation shortly. Datalink equipment allowing national insurance information to be obtained has been in use for several years.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Invalidity Benefit – 19 November 1985

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Invalidity Benefit on 19th November 1985.

    Mr. Clay Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what will be the total cost of (a) paying a 7 per cent. increase in invalidity benefit to all invalidity pensioners and (b) paying a 7 per cent. increase to all other social security beneficiaries, broken down by category.

    Mr. Major I assume that the hon. Member is referring to the cost of this month’s uprating, when the great majority of benefits will increase by 7 per cent. Invalidity benefit will, however, increase by 11.8 per cent. because of the restoration of the 5 per cent. abatement introduced in 1980.

    The total net cost of this uprating of invalidity benefit is about £170 million in a full year. The figure takes account of the restoration of the abatement, the introduction by the Social Security Act 1985 of an offset between invalidity allowance and the additional component, and the effect on supplementary benefit entitlement.

    The full year net costs of uprating other main benefits are:

    Benefit | Cost in £ million

    Retirement pension | 1,120

    Widows’ benefits | 55

    Unemployment benefit | 115

    Sickness benefit | 20

    Invalid care allowance | 1

    Attendance allowance | 45

    Severe disablement allowance | 20

    Mobility allowance | 30

    Industrial injuries benefits | 30

    War pensions | 35

    Maternity allowance | 15

    Child benefit* | 100

    One parent benefit | 10

    Family income supplement* | 35

    Supplementary benefits* | 230

    Housing benefit* | —

    Notes:

    1. All figures are rounded

    2. Benefits marked * increase by an amount different from seven per cent.

    3. The cost of increasing supplementary benefit and housing benefit is reduced by the relatively higher uprating of other benefits.

    The total cost of the uprating is about £2,050 million.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on the Finer Report – 18 November 1985

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on the Finer Report on 18th November 1985.

    Mr. Kilroy-Silk Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services to what extent the recommendations of the Finer report have been implemented.

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

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Widows – 18 November 1985

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Widows on 18th November 1985.

    Mr. Adams Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has any plans to increase widows’ pensions and war widows’ pensions in the current financial year; and if he has any plans to pay any lump sum at Christmas.

    Mr. Major Yes. Widows’ and war widows’ pensions will increase by seven per cent. on 25 November 1985, and the £10 Christmas bonus will be paid to all widows, retirement pensioners and other long-term benefit recipients in the week beginning 2 December 1985.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Private Hospitals – 18 November 1985

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Private Hospitals on 18th November 1985.

    Mr. Maxton Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many social security or industrial injury claimants requiring medical examinations have been referred to private hospitals in England and Wales and Scotland; what is the cost involved for each patient and to which hospitals the patients have been referred.

    Mr. Major To enable the statutory adjudicating authorities to determine a claim for benefit, medical examination by a consultant may be necessary. The place of the examination is entirely a matter for the consultant concerned, and information is not held centrally on how many take place in private hospitals.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on the Woolwich Office – 18 November 1985

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on the Woolwich Office on 18th November 1985.

    Mr. Cartwright Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the educational qualifications of the staff employed at the Woolwich office of his Department.

    Mr. Major Information about the educational qualifications held by staff in local offices of the Department is not readily available.

    The minimum educational qualifications for recruitment to the basic clerical grade – clerical assistant – are two passes at GCE ‘O’ level, or equivalent, including English language. For recruitment to the executive officer grade, the minimum educational qualifications are five GCE ‘O’ level, or equivalent, passes including English language, and two ‘A’ level passes, both of which must be obtained at the same examination.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Members’ Correspondence – 15 November 1985

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Members’ Correspondence on 15th November 1985.

    Mr. Pawsey Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when the hon. Member for Rugby and Kenilworth may expect a reply to his letter to him dated 17 July and referring to J. Gardiner, Esq. of 13 Barford Road, Kenilworth.

    Mr. Major I have written to my hon. Friend today.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Low Income Households – 15 November 1985

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Low Income Households on 15th November 1985.

    Mr. Frank Field Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish the analysis on the number of low income households from the family expenditure survey data for 1983.

    Mr. Major I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 12 November to my hon. Friend the Member for Suffolk, South (Mr. Yeo) at column 161.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Invalidity Benefit – 15 November 1985

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Invalidity Benefit on 15th November 1985.

    Mr. Clay Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many of those currently receiving (a) invalidity pension and (b) other incapacity benefits have claimed a supplementary pension; and how many of these claims were successful;

    (2) of the total now receiving invalidity benefit with a supplementary pension, how many will lose their supplementary benefit top-up when invalidity benefit is increased by 7 per cent. and the 5 per cent. abatement is restored; and what will be the estimated savings to his Department as a result of this exercise;

    (3) what will be the estimated savings to his Department as a result of not paying supplementary pensions to invalidity benefit recipients.

    Mr. Major It is regretted that information is not available about the number who have claimed a supplementary pension. At December 1983, however, the latest date for which information is available, about 9,000 people receiving supplementary pension were also in receipt of an incapacity benefit – sickness benefit, invalidity pension or non-contributory invalidity pension. It is not known how many were receiving an invalidity pension. Information is not therefore available about the number who will lose their entitlement to supplementary pension when invalidity pension is increased by 7 per cent. and the 5 per cent. abatement restored. There will in any case be no overall benefit savings.