The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

Tag: Pensions

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on War Pensions – 20 May 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on War Pensions on 20th May 1986.

    Mr. Kirkwood Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he proposes to bring war pensions available to war widows in the period before 1973 into line with the levels of pension paid since that date; how much it would cost to increase all pre-1973 level pensions by £5 per week; how much it cost to pay war widows’ pensions for the last five years for which figures are available; and how many persons are in receipt of war pensions in the area served by the Galashiels ILO in the Scottish Borders.

    Mr. Major Under the war pensions scheme, widows’ pensions are paid at the same rate regardless of the date of the service man’s death or of when he served. The precise number widowed before 1973 is not known, but the estimated cost of the increase suggested would be in the region of £16 million per year. The Department’s expenditure on war widows’ pensions was as follows:

    Year | £ million

    1980-81 | 146
    1981-82 | 166
    1982-83 | 174
    1983-84 | 177
    1984-85 | 184

    The remaining information requested is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Retirement Pensioners (Overseas) – 15 May 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Retirement Pensioners (Overseas) on 15th May 1986.

    Ms. Richardson Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list each country or dependency outside the United Kingdom where United Kingdom retirement pensioners are known to live and draw their pension, showing for each country how many pensioners there are, whether they get pension increases and, for those countries where they do not, what is the average pension paid.

    Mr. Major United Kingdom retirement pensions are paid to beneficiaries living in the following countries outside the United Kingdom. The number of beneficiaries in each country at 31 December 1985 (the latest date for which figures are available) is shown in each case. The average pension paid in countries where no increases are payable is £13.32.

    Country | Number

    Albania | 5

    Algeria | 1

    Andorra | 88

    Angola | 1

    Anguilla | 49

    Antigua | 119

    Argentina | 133

    Australia | 96,126

    Austria | 1,867

    Bahamas | 106

    Bahrain | 15

    Bangladesh | 1,253

    Barbados | 729

    Belgium | 2,449

    Belize | 10

    Bermuda | 241

    Bolivia | 4

    Botswana | 38

    Brazil | 133

    Brunei | 9

    Bulgaria | 9

    Burma | 7

    Cameroon | 4

    Canada | 54,388

    Cayman Islands | 22

    Chile | 38

    China | 7

    Colombia | 23

    Cook Islands | 5

    Costa Rica | 5

    Cyprus | 2,159

    Czechoslovakia | 25

    Denmark | 239

    Djibouti | 3

    Dominica, Commonwealth of | 233

    Dominican Republic | 132

    East Germany | 13

    Ecuador | 9

    Egypt | 34

    El Salvador | 1

    Ethiopia | 4

    Falkland Islands and Dependencies | 6

    Faroe Islands | 1

    Fiji | 27

    Finland | 35

    France | 4,520

    Gabon | 1

    Gambia | 5

    Ghana | 44

    Gibraltar | 277

    Greece | 639

    Grenada | 298

    Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique and Reunion Island | 6

    Guatemala | 3

    Guernsey | 4,489

    Guyana | 124

    Haiti | 1

    Honduras | 2

    Hong Kong | 331

    Hungary | 138

    Iceland | 17

    India | 2,580

    Indonesia | 13

    Iraq | 3

    Irish Republic | 38,744

    Israel | 1,891

    Italy | 6,974

    Jamaica | 9,327

    Japan | 42

    Jersey | 5,652

    Jordan | 7

    Kenya | 345

    Kiribati (Gilbert Islands) | 2

    Kuwait | 6

    Lebanon | 26

    Lesotho | 6

    Liberia | 4

    Libyan Arab Republic | 2

    Luxembourg | 49

    Madagascar | 2

    Malawi | 38

    Malaya | 45

    Malta | 1,480

    Mauritius | 87

    Mexico | 56

    Monaco | 160

    Montserrat | 180

    Morocco | 28

    Mozambique | 1

    Nauru, Republic of | 2

    Nepal | 14

    Netherlands | 1,598

    Netherlands Antilles | 6

    New Zealand | 23,167

    Nigeria | 69

    Norfolk Island | 11

    Norway | 119

    Oman | 8

    Pakistan | 3,369

    Panama | 7

    Papua New Guinea | 17

    Peru | 34

    Philippines | 34

    Poland | 2,459

    Portugal (including Madeira) | 1,131

    Puerto Rico | 3

    Qatar | 6

    Rumania | 19

    Rwanda | 2

    St. Helena and Dependencies | 30

    St. Kitts-Nevis | 277

    St. Lucia | 350

    St. Vincent | 237

    Sarawak | 2

    Sark | 64

    Saudi Arabia | 23

    Senegal | 8

    Seychelles | 24

    Sierra Leone | 33

    Singapore | 60

    Solomon Islands | 4

    Somalia | 134

    South Africa | 18,819

    South Korea | 2

    South West Africa or Namibia | 13

    Spain (including Balearic and Canary Islands) | 11,734

    Sri Lanka | 94

    Sudan | 9

    Swaziland | 42

    Sweden | 64

    Switzerland | 1,552

    Syria | 1

    Taiwan | 2

    Tanzania | 39

    Thailand | 31

    Togo | 1

    Tonga | 3

    Trinidad and Tobago | 251

    Tunisia | 8

    Turkey | 192

    Turks and Caicos Islands | 2

    Uganda | 12

    United Arab Emirates | 22

    United States of America | 32,077

    USSR | 741

    Uruguay | 16

    Vanuatu (New Hebrides) | 1

    Venezuela | 26

    Virgin Islands | 29

    Western Samoa | 7

    West Germany | 7,863

    Yemen Arab Republic (North) | 719

    Yemen, People’s Democratic Republic of (South) | 87

    Yugoslavia | 964

    Zaire | 5

    Zambia | 86

    Zimbabwe | 3,498

    Travelling | 42

    Address not known | 828

    Countries not recorded (people in transit) | 5,733

    The following numbers live in countries in which benefit is paid at current or partially unfrozen rates.

    Country | Number

    Austria | 1,867

    Belgium | 2,449

    Bermuda | 241

    Cyprus | 2,159

    Denmark | 239

    Finland | 35

    France | 4,520

    Germany, Federal Republic | 7,863

    Gibraltar | 277

    Greece | 639

    Guernsey | 4,489

    Iceland | 17

    Irish Republic | 38,744

    Israel | 1,891

    Italy | 6,974

    Jamaica | 9,327

    Jersey | 5,652

    Luxembourg | 49

    Malta | 1,480

    Mauritius | 87

    Netherlands | 1,598

    Portugal | 1,131

    Sark | 64

    Spain (including Balearic and Canary Islands) | 11,734

    Switzerland | 1,552

    Turkey | 192

    United States of America | 32,077

    Yugoslavia | 964

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Pensions and Benefits – 14 April 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Pensions and Benefits on 14th April 1986.

    Mr. Meacher Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been (a) the single person’s pension, (b) the married couple’s pension and (c) supplementary benefit scale rates for (i) a single person and (ii) a married couple as a proportion of national average earnings each year since 1979; and what information he has on comparable figures in France, Germany, the United States of America, Sweden, Italy and Belgium.

    Mr. Major Details of the rates of benefit and the amount of such rates expressed as a proportion of national average earnings are contained in the “Abstract of Statistics for Index of Retail Prices, Average Earnings, Social Security Benefits and Contributions” (tables 5.1, 5.6 and 5.7) a copy of which is in the Library.

    Such information as is available regarding benefits in France, Germany, Italy and Belgium is contained in the Department’s annual publication “Tables of Social Benefit Systems in the Member States of the European Communities, Portugal and Spain”. Copies are held in the Library for each year since 1973. I regret that information is not available which would enable reliable comparisons to be made to the national average wage in each member state of the European Community.

    For information on benefit levels in the United States of America, I refer the hon. Member to the Social Security Bulletin of January 1986, Vol. 49, No. 1, page 74, as issued by the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Information regarding Sweden as at 1 July 1984 is contained in the Council of Europe publication “Comparative Tables of the Social Security Systems in Council of Europe Member States not belonging to the European Communities”. Copies of both publications are in the Library. I regret that there is no information readily available regarding Sweden for earlier years.

  • 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 the State Pension (Interest Payments) – 24 March 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on the State Pension (Interest Payments) on 24th March 1986.

    Mr. Cartwright Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether Her Majesty’s Government have any plans to seek to pay interest to pensioners who receive their state pension in arrears on either a four weekly or quarterly basis for that period between the pension being due and the pension being paid; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr. Major I have no such plans.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Pensions – 21 March 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Pensions on 21st March 1986.

    Mr. Meacher Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will set out the average level of (a) the state earnings-related pension scheme additional component and (b) the guaranteed minimum pension paid out each year since 1978, both at current and constant prices; and on the basis of the economic assumptions of the five-year rolling Public Expenditure Survey Committee programme, what he estimates will be their levels over the next five years.

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

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Unemployment Benefit and Pensions – 17 March 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Unemployment Benefit and Pensions on 17th March 1986.

    Mr. Gordon Brown Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the latest information available on the percentage of gross average earnings, unemployment benefit and the basic state pension each represents in the United Kingdom; and how this compares to each of the other members of the European Economic Community and the Scandinavian countries.

    Mr. Major The basic rates of retirement pension and unemployment benefit for a married couple introduced in November 1985 were at that date 36 per cent. and 29 per cent. respectively of the average weekly gross earnings of adult male manual workers in Great Britain. Information on the level of benefit in other countries is given in the Department’s publications “Tables of Social Benefit Systems in the Member States of the European Communities” and “Comparative Tables of the Social Security Systems in Council of Europe member states not belonging to the European Communities”, available in the Library. Information is not available for reliable comparisons with gross average earnings in the relevant countries.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Pensioners – 17 March 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Pensioners on 17th March 1986.

    Mr. Adley Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many pensioners there are now and how many there were in 1979.

    Mr. Major In November 1979 there were 8.6 million retirement pensioners in Great Britain. By September 1985, the latest figures available, this figure had risen to 9.2 million.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Overseas Pensioners – 17 March 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Overseas Pensioners on 17th March 1986.

    Sir Eldon Griffiths Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the countries with which Britain has agreements to provide cost of living increases to British pensioners who reside there.

    Mr. Major Pensions are payable at the same rates as in the United Kingdom to pensioners in European Community States, and under reciprocal agreements to pensioners in the following countries:

    Austria

    Cyprus

    Finland

    Guernsey

    Iceland

    Israel

    Jersey

    Malta

    Mauritius

    Sark

    Switzerland

    Turkey

    Yugoslavia

    Pensioners in a further group of countries receive the increases which become payable after the date an agreement entered into force:

    Bermuda, from 1 November 1969

    Jamaica, from 1 October 1972

    United States of America, from 25 September 1969

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Pensioners (Payments Overseas) – 5 March 1986

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Pensioners (Payments Overseas) on 5th March 1986.

    Mrs. Renée Short Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many British passport holders living in South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Canada are at present claiming British state pension; and what proportion of them are receiving it at 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1984 levels.

    Mr. Major On 31 December 1985 British widows’ and retirement pensions were being paid to 19,763 pensioners living in South Africa, 23,672 in New Zealand, 99,129 in Australia and 56,451 in Canada. As entitlement to pension depends on the claimant’s national insurance contribution record and not nationality, it is not known how many are British passport holders. The other requested information is not available; it could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.