Engagements (Hansard, 13 January 1987)

§ Q2. Mr. Snape
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 13 January.

§ The Prime Minister
This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in this House I shall be having further meetings later today.

§ Mr. Snape
Will the Prime Minister find time today to initiate a proper and long-term review of severe weather payments? Will she look, in particular, at the £500 limit? Does she favour thrift, or does she not?

§ The Prime Minister
As the hon. Gentleman is aware, severe weather payments were brought in under this Government. They are paid on top of the heating addition allowance, which amounts to some £400 million a year, compared with £90 million under the previous Labour Government. The hon. Gentleman will also be aware of the statement made earlier today by my hon. Friend the Minister for Social Security: It is our firm expectation that the trigger point for severe weather payments will be reached throughout the country this week. In view of this and of the unprecedented cold weather, I wish to make it clear today that the extra payment of £5 will be made to everyone in the qualifying groups for this week. I find it encouraging that even Labour Members expect and receive a much higher standard of heating benefit for the elderly from a Conservative Government than they ever got from a Labour Government.

§ Mr. Hind
Will my right hon. Friend take time during the course of her busy day to look at much of the press comment about the takeover bid by BTR for Pilkington? Will she bear in mind, especially in the light of the arguments about the north-south divide, the importance of Pilkington to the north-west region and have words today with the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and urge him to refer that takeover bid to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission?

§ The Prime Minister
As my hon. Friend said, that is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, who must wait to receive advice from the Director General of Fair Trading.

§ Mr. Kinnock
The announcement by the Minister earlier today on severe weather payments was welcome, but an admission of the—[Interruption.] We are glad to get anything we can for old people who are cold. The announcement was welcome, but was an admission of the utter incompetence of the present system offered by the Prime Minister. Does she recognise that that is a hopelessly inadequate way of trying to remove the gross deficiencies of a pathetically bad system and one recognised as such by organisations representing old people as well as by the old themselves? Must we wait for weekly announcements from Ministers so that the old and the cold can live without fear of freezing? Why does the Prime Minister not scrap the present absurdly bureaucratic and inadequate system and introduce one that provides secure and consistent help to those most in need and which responds to the realities of age, cold, and a deep fear of paying bills?

§ The Prime Minister
First, there was no system of severe weather payments under the Labour Government. I am glad that the right hon. Gentleman expects a better standard of care from Conservative Governments than his own could possibly have given.
Secondly, the present system was referred to the Social Security Advisory Committee, which gave general support to the main elements of our proposals. It said: 141 The proposals submitted to us represent a significant improvement on the previous scheme for exceptionally severe weather payments, in terms of simplicity, comprehensibility and certainty of payment. Thirdly, when we have a totally unprecedented level of low temperatures of the sort that we have experienced recently, which were lower than ever before except in 1940, we are indeed anxious, and will waive the strict bureaucratic procedures in order—[Interruption.] That is precisely what my hon. Friend—[Interruption.]

§ Mr. Speaker
Order.

§ The Prime Minister
Hon. Members do not wish to hear the truth of what has happened. Yes, we were anxious to waive the bureaucracy. As my hon. Friend the Minister said: I wish to make it clear today that the extra payment of £5 will be made to everyone in the qualifying groups for this week… The Government are determined that vulnerable groups should know without delay where they stand, so that they will not be discouraged from heating their homes during this very cold spell. That is an excellent record and an excellent decision.

§ Mr. Kinnock
The people at risk, of whom there are many thousands, do not want a distorted history lesson from the Prime Minister. They want help with their heating and all her recitations from Committee minutes do not fill any bellies or warm any homes. Will the Prime Minister answer my question? Are we to wait for weekly announcements of adjustments in an incompetent policy, or will she get rid of her stupid system?

§ The Prime Minister
I have two further points in reply to the right hon. Gentleman. The last time that we had extremely severe weather was in 1978–79, and the heating additions then were £90 million. Today they are £400 million. At that time the Labour Government were in office and not one right hon. or hon. Gentleman raised the matter at Question Time with his own Government. Furthermore, may I remind the right hon. Gentleman that the other danger to the elderly of having insufficient heat was during the coal strike, which he supported.

§ Mr. Kinnock
Will the Prime Minister now—[Interruption.]

§ Mr. Speaker
Order.

§ Mr. Kinnock
Now, Mr. Prime Minister—[Laughter.] I am anticipating events. Will the Prime Minister now answer the question? Must we wait for a weekly announcement, or will the right hon. Lady help old people directly and consistently? Does she not recall that last year she defended that incompetent system? This year she is defending this mess. How many additional old people must die before she changes her policy?

§ The Prime Minister
The comparison is as follows: under the Labour Government £90 million—[Interruption.] I shall say what is happening now. [Interruption.] Obviously, the right hon. Gentleman does not want me to make the comparison. The comparison is heating additions of £90 million a year under a Labour Government with £400 million a year under this Conservative Government; no severe weather payments under that Labour Government, with generous severe weather payments under this Government, with arrangements that have just been modified to ensure that 142 pensioners receive it; and the coal strike under Labour that deprived old people of heat, and resistance to that from a Tory Government.