The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

Tag: 1985

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit (Camden) – 2 December 1985

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit (Camden) on 2nd December 1985.

    Mr. Dobson Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was (a) the number of persons claiming supplementary benefit and (b) the number of children estimated to be dependent on those claimants in each of the local offices of his Department that serve the London borough of Camden in each of the years 1979 to 1985.

    Mr. Major The following table shows the estimated number of people claiming supplementary benefit in the London borough of Camden in December 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1984, and the estimated number of children dependant upon them. Comparable figures for 1979, 1980 and 1985 are not available.

    London Borough of Camden

    Year | Estimated number of supplementary benefit claimants | Estimated number of children dependent on these claimants

    1981 | 16,000 | 3,000

    1982 | 20,000 | 6,000

    1983 | 19,000 | 6,000

    1984 | 23,000 | 7,000

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Housing Benefit – 2 December 1985

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Housing Benefit on 2nd December 1985.

    Mrs. Beckett Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services in each year since its introduction, what has been the saving from the introduction and increase in non-dependants’ deductions from housing benefit for young people, showing separately the savings from the changes for 16 and 17-year-olds and from 18 to 20-year-olds; and what would be the cost of reversing these changes in a full year at 1985-86 benefit rates.

    Mr. Major I regret that this information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefits – 2 December 1985

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefits on 2nd December 1985.

    Mrs. Beckett Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services in each year since its introduction, what has been the gross and net saving from the removal from (a) 16 and 17-year-olds, (b) 18 to 20-year-olds supplementary benefit non-householders’ rent addition; and what would be the cost of reversing these changes in a full year at 1985-86 benefit rates.

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

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Sick Leave – 2 December 1985

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Sick Leave on 2nd December 1985.

    Mrs. Renée Short Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many security officials employed by offices of the Department of Health and Social Security have taken sick leave during the past six years; if he will list the average periods of time that this has lasted during the same period; what level of damage has been done to Department of Health and Social Security property during the same period; and what costs have been incurred resulting from repair work.

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

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Exceptional Needs Payments – 2 December 1985

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Exceptional Needs Payments on 2nd December 1985.

    Mr. Ralph Howell Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will now estimate the percentage of manpower spent on administering exceptional needs payments (single payments) in his Department’s supplementary benefit local offices.

    Mr. Major About 5.5 per cent., just over 2,000 posts, of the supplementary benefit complement is estimated to be allocated to administering single payments.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Fraud Investigators – 28 November 1985

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Fraud Investigators on 28th November 1985.

    Mr. Meacher Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if any remuneration, additional to basic rates of pay, is offered to fraud officers, special investigators or specialist claim control officers on the basis of success rates or productivity.

    Mr. Major No.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Public Expenditure (Benefit Take-Up) – 28 November 1985

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Public Expenditure (Benefit Take-Up) on 28th November 1985.

    Mr. Kirkwood Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what level of take-up of means-tested benefit was used as an assumption in setting the public expenditure totals for future financial years.

    Mr. Major Forecasts of expenditure on means-tested benefits are not based on any explicit assumption that a specified proportion of those entitled to a benefit will actually claim it. Rather, they are based on changing trends in the actual number of beneficiaries, and thus take account of changes in take-up only implicitly.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Housing Benefit – 27 November 1985

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Housing Benefit on 27th November 1985.

    Mr. Greenway Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what information he has as to the amount of housing benefit paid to students in each of the past 10 years; what the projected figure is for the current and coming years; how many students received such payments in each year; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr. Major The Green Paper on social security indicates the Government’s view that it would be right in principle to return to the situation which existed before the introduction of supplementary benefit in 1966, with students being helped through the grant system, by their families, and by their own earnings in vacation. We are continuing to give consideration to how progress in this direction may most appropriately be made.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Benefits – 27 November 1985

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Benefits on 27th November 1985.

    Sir Brandon Rhys Williams Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are his latest estimates of the average, maximum and minimum times it takes to process a claim for housing benefit, distinguishing between certificated and standard housing benefit.

    Mr. Major I regret that estimates are not available. The responsibility for the administration of the housing benefit scheme rests with individual local authorities. Information about the speed with which claims are processed is not collected centrally.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Child Benefit – 26 November 1985

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Child Benefit on 26th November 1985.

    Mrs. Renée Short Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the number of single mothers who have withdrawn claims for child benefit in each single year since 1979, the number of case papers which have been requested from benefit officers’ staff by social security fraud squad officers in each single year since 1979; and if he will list the total number of officers who have been employed by his Department as fraud squad investigators during the same period giving a breakdown of the regions of the country to which they have been assigned.

    Mr. Major [pursuant to his reply, 21 November 1985, c. 285]: I regret that the information requested concerning withdrawn claims for child benefit is not available. If the hon. Member has in mind the Department’s special claims control teams which were set up in 1981 and are the only fraud staff working in groups, the following table sets out a region by region breakdown of staff numbers for the last two years and a national total for the preceding two years. The number of case papers referred by benefit officers to the teams is not available.

    Region | 1984-85 | 1983-84 | 1982-83 | 1981-82

    North East | 32 | 28 | — | —

    Midlands | 33 | 22 | — | —

    London North | 27 | 21 | — | —

    London South | 23 | 20 | — | —

    Wales and South West | 22 | 33 | — | —

    North West | 30 | 37 | — | —

    Scotland | 22 | 14 | — | —

    National Total | 189 | 175 | 141 | 147