The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

Tag: 1985

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on the Departmental Office, Huyton – 28 October 1985

    The text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on the Departmental Office, Huyton on 28th October 1985.

    Mr. Sean Hughes Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the number of hours of overtime worked in the Huyton office of his Department in each of the last five years and to date in 1985.

    Mr. Major The hours of overtime worked in the Huyton office are as follows:

    Year | Hours

    1981-82 | 4,508
    1982-83 | 9,996
    1983-84 | 2,237
    1984-85 | 10,640

    The overtime hours worked from 10 April 1985 to 24 September 1985 (the latest date for which accounts are held) are 12,950.

    Mr. Sean Hughes Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been the annual cost of the overtime worked in each of the last five years and to date in 1985 in constant terms in the Huyton office of his Department.

    Mr. Major The annual cost in constant terms of overtime worked in Huyton office in each of the last five years and to date in 1985 is as follows:

    Year | Cost (£)

    1981-82 | 31,544
    1982-83 | 69,934
    1983-84 | 15,646
    1984-85 | 74,441

    The cost of overtime from 10 April 1985 to 24 September 1985, the latest date for which accounts are held, is £90,605.

    These figures are based on 1984-85 average costs of overtime in the Department.

    Mr. Sean Hughes Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been the reduction in personnel in the Huyton office of his Department over the last three years; and what savings have resulted from the reduction in staff.

    Mr. Major Information is available only for the last two years. On 1 April 1983 there were 160 staff in post, on 1 April 1985 the corresponding figure was 153.

    The seven posts resulted in a saving of £51,576 based on 1984-85 average salaries costs.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit – 28 October 1985

    The text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit on 28th October 1985.

    Mr. Rooker Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will introduce legislation to compensate for loss of pension those unemployed persons taking a reduced early pension in consequence of the supplementary benefit notional resources regulations; and if he will make a statement;

    (2) what is his estimate of the number of unemployed persons in receipt of supplementary benefit, whose benefit is reduced because they have an entitlement to an early reduced pension from a former employer;

    (3) how many submissions have been made to his headquarters from local offices in respect of deductions in supplementary benefit to unemployed persons who have a choice of a reduced early pension from a former employer.

    Mr. Major Regulation 4(2)(a) of the Supplementary Benefit (Resources) Regulations (SI 1981/1527) provides that any resource which would become available to a member of the assessment unit upon application duly being made, but which has not been acquired by him may if, in the opinion of the adjudication officer it is reasonable in the circumstances to do so, be treated as if it were possessed by him.

    Information on the number of persons to whom this provision has been applied because of entitlement to an early reduced pension is not available. Our headquarters received one submission on the matter in 1981 and I understand that the office of the Chief Adjudication Officer has in recent weeks given guidance to a local office in an individual case. We have no plans at present either to amend the existing law or to introduce legislation providing for compensation in such cases.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Benefits – 28 October 1985

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Benefits on 28th October 1985.

    Mr. Meacher Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he will be publishing the 1983 statistics for social security benefits.

    Mr. Major 1983 statistics on many social security benefits were included in “Social Security Statistics 1984”. 1983 statistics on most other benefits will be included in the next volume of “Social Security Statistics” planned for publication in the spring of 1986.

    In addition copies of the full set of tabulated figures from the 1983 supplementary benefit annual statistical inquiry will be deposited in the Library and made available from the DHSS leaflets unit at the end of November 1985.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Women (Retirement Pension) – 28 October 1985

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Women (Retirement Pension) on 28th October 1985.

    Mr. Meacher Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many women, in each year from 1979 to 1984, claimed a retirement pension based on contributions paid or credited for the period before 5 July 1948; and how many of these claims were followed by an award of pension based (i) entirely on contributions paid or credited for the period before July 1948 and (ii) partly on such contributions; and in each case what was the average pension awarded.

    Mr. Major There is no central statistical analysis of claimants’ insurance records which would indicate the specific periods of the working life during which contributions accrued on which title to retirement pension is based.

    I regret therefore that the information requested is not available.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Widows – 28 October 1985

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Widows on 28th October 1985.

    Mr. Shore Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many pensions are being paid to widows residing in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, of men who worked in the United Kingdom and contributed to the national insurance scheme.

    Mr. Major The number of women living in India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan receiving national insurance widow’s benefit on 2 April 1985, the latest date for which figures are available, was 210, 381 and 951 respectively. Some of the 2,587 retirement pensioners in India, the 1,139 in Bangladesh, and 3,145 in Pakistan will be widows receiving pensions on their late husbands’ insurance, but we are unable to identify these separately.

    Mr. Shore Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many claims for widows’ pensions are currently with his Department from widows residing in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

    Mr. Major The overseas branch of the Department is currently dealing with 33 widows’ benefit claims from widows in India, 171 from widows in Pakistan and 290 from widows in Bangladesh.

    Mr. Shore Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what measures his Department has taken to inform and communicate with widows residing in the Indian sub-continent about their entitlement to national insurance widows’ pensions.

    Mr. Major If details of a wife are held at the time of the death of a male beneficiary, a claim form is sent to the widow wherever she is. In addition special arrangements have been made with the State bank of India and the Sonali bank in Bangladesh to help widows to make claims and to obtain the necessary documentary evidence which is required. Although it has not been possible to make the same arrangements with the Habib bank in Pakistan, it acts as paying agents and gives limited assistance to claimants. The Department also co-operates with representatives of claimants where there are language difficulties. Leaflet FB2, “Which Benefit”, is now available in Bengali, Gujerati, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Data Protection – 28 October 1985

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Data Protection on 28th October 1985.

    Mr. Dalyell Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, pursuant to his reply of 22 July, Official Report, column 400, if he will make a further statement on his review of the arrangements for preserving confidentiality in all computerised systems in the light of the Data Protection Act.

    Mr. Major We are now well advanced in the process of identifying all the computer systems within the Department which contain personal data and preparing arrangements for registration under the Data Protection Act, and steps have been taken to ensure compliance with the data protection principles. Security officers have been designated for all major data processing projects and installations, and guidance on security standards for computer systems is being prepared. All staff in the Department have been given information about the requirements of the Act, including a reminder of the need to preserve the confidentiality of personal information.

    Further information and training will be tailored to the needs of the particular groups of staff handling personal data.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Heating Costs (Burnley) – 28 October 1985

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Heating Costs (Burnley) on 28th October 1985.

    Mr. Pike Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list in the Official Report any housing estates in the Burnley borough council area designated by him as having abnormally high heat costs in accordance with the Supplementary Benefit (Requirement) Regulations, schedule 4, paragraph 11.

    Mr. Major I assume that the hon. Member is referring to paragraph 6 of schedule 4 to the Supplementary Benefit (Requirements) Regulations, which allows a special rate of supplementary benefit heating addition where the home is part of an estate built with a heating system recognised by the Secretary of State as having disproportionately high running costs. No heating systems in the Burnley borough council area have been so recognised.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Gas and Electricity (Disconnections) – 25 October 1985

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Gas and Electricity (Disconnections) on 25th October 1985.

    Mr. Hardy Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will take steps to ensure that his Department extends to all cases its current practice of informing local authority social services departments about gas or electricity disconnections only where young children are involved.

    Mr. Major Where a fuel board has notified the DHSS local office of its intention to disconnect a supplementary benefit claimant’s fuel supply, and this cannot be avoided by paying part of the claimant’s supplementary benefit direct to the fuel board, staff are instructed to inform the local authority social services department. This applies to all such cases and not just those involving young children.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit – 24 October 1985

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit on 24th October 1985.

    Mr. Chris Smith Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list, for each month since January 1985, the total value of supplementary benefit payments made to persons of no fixed abode in (a) each of the local Department of Health and Social Security offices located in the inner London area, covered by the Inner London Education Authority, (b) the London north region and (c) the London south region.

    Mr. Major The Department’s local offices do not keep separate statistics on payments made to persons of no fixed abode. The information is therefore not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Debt Collection Agencies – 24 October 1985

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Debt Collection Agencies on 24th October 1985.

    Mr. Gordon Brown Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services in what circumstances his Department makes arrangements with debt-collection agencies for direct debit of outstanding debts; how many claimants are now covered by this procedure; whether money-lending agencies can benefit from this procedure; what check is made of the debt-collection agencies who benefit; and whether any charge is made on the debt-collection agencies for the service provided.

    Mr. Major The Department does not under any circumstances make arrangements for money to be deducted from any claimant’s benefit for payment direct to a debt collection agency or a money lending agency.