Archive

Large scale document archive

1985 Jun 3 - 1985 Nov 29
Prime Ministerial Private Office files

PREM19/1640
Social Services (Reform of social security: pensions, housing benefit and supplementary benefit; child support) (Part 3)

Source: TNA, PREM19 series
Release date: 2014 Dec 30
Classification: Secret
Page count: 347
Themes: Labour Party & socialism, Judiciary, Parliament, Employment, Public spending & borrowing, Social security & welfare, Housing, Local government finance

PREM19/1640 - download whole file (PDF, 61.23 MB)

Selections from this file

Showing items 41 - 60 of 64

Date Value Title
85 Oct 14 Mo Major Social Services: Tom King letter to Fowler ("Social Security Reforms") ["universally and vociferously criticised in Northern Ireland"; highlights specific issues; "will need to have convincing arguments in defending the Government's position"] [released Dec 2014]
85 Oct 15 Tu Major Social Services: Lord Hailsham letter to Tony Newton ("Green Paper Proposals for New Pension Arrangements") ["county courts are quite inappropriate for your proposals regarding coercive orders"] [released Dec 2014]
85 Oct 25 Fr Major Social Services: No.10 Policy Unit minute to MT ("SERPS") [Social Security review: state-earnings-related pension scheme: notes on 'how SERPS works' & on proposed reforms; MT notes that she wishes to discuss] [released Dec 2014]
85 Oct 30 We Major Social Services: Cabinet Office briefing for MT ("Ministerial Group on Social Security: Meeting on 31 October") ["to consider Mr Fowler's revised proposals on SERPS"] [released Dec 2014]
85 Oct 30 We Major Social Services: MacGregor letter to Whitelaw ("Social Security") ["Norman Fowler and I have reached an agreement on this programme. I summarise the position in this minute"] [released Dec 2014]
85 Oct 30 We Major Social Services: No.10 Policy Unit briefing for MT ("Pensions") [savings on SERPS: key figures based on amended Fowler proposals; contracting-out; presentation] [released Dec 2014]
85 Nov 12 Tu Major Social Services: Fowler minute to MT ("Social Security Reform") ["I would like to discuss with you informally the options open to us and their political consequences"] [released Dec 2014]
85 Nov 12 Tu Major Social Services: No.10 briefing for MT ("Meeting with Mr Fowler") ["wants to make sure you understand the political difficulties of the proposals he is being pushed into making... You are not willing to see public expenditure figures threatened"] [released Dec 2014]
85 Nov 12 Tu Major Social Services: No.10 Policy Unit minute to MT ("Meeting with Norman Fowler") [Social Security reform: White Paper: proposed workaround to avoid internal government disagreements becoming public] [released Dec 2014]
85 Nov 13 We Major Social Services: No.10 record of conversation (MT, Fowler, Tony Newton) ["MISC 111": Social Security reform: "discussion centred on the number of gainers and losers under the proposals"] [released Dec 2014]
85 Nov 19 Tu Major Social Services: Cabinet Office briefing for MT ("Ministerial Group on Social Security Meeting on 20 November 1985 (MISC 111(85)17: Income Related Benefits") [modifications to Fowler's Social Security reform proposals] [released Dec 2014]
85 Nov 19 Tu Major Social Services: John MacGregor minute to MT ("Social Security Reviews: Income Related Benefits") ["The proposals which Norman Fowler is recommending... cost nearly £300 million more than those we agreed as the basis for the Green Paper... If we get it wrong now, we will have to cope with the consequences"] [released Dec 2014]
85 Nov 19 Tu Major Social Services: No.10 briefing for MT ("MISC111: Social Security Review") [details of two reform package options & their respective costs] [released Dec 2014]
85 Nov 19 Tu Major Social Services: No.10 Policy Unit minute to MT ("Social Security Reviews: Pensioner Losers") ["Fowler is right that pensioner losers present a real political problem, but... it is not as bad as he claims; and... there is a better way of dealing with it than his proposal"] [released Dec 2014]
85 Nov 19 Tu Major Social Services: No.10 Policy Unit minute to MT ("Social Security Reviews: Family Credit") ["Fowler has not yet made out a strong enough case for spending more"] [released Dec 2014]
85 Nov 20 We Major Social Services: Cabinet Office briefing for MT ("Social Security Review: Income Related Benefits") ["the essential issue... is whether... it is worth spending another £300 million to reduce the (still very large) number of losers and improve incentives": MacGregor's case vs Fowler's] [released Dec 2014]
85 Nov 21 Th Major Social Services: Tom King letter to MacGregor ("Social Security Reforms: Northern Ireland") ["I understand the justification for the... proposal [that housing benefit claimants make 20% contribution to local rates] was the desire to bring home to electors the need to maintain some control over the expenditure of local councils... [but] this chain of responsibility does not exist in Northern Ireland"] [released Dec 2014]
85 Nov 25 Mo Major Social Services: Fowler minute to MT ("Social Security Review") [details of savings measures agreed with MacGregor] [released Dec 2014]
85 Nov 27 We Major Social Services: Cabinet Office briefing for MT ("Review of Social Security Review: Final Decisions") [ratification of amended proposals] [released Dec 2014]
85 Nov 27 We Major Social Services: Fowler PS letter to No.10 ("Social Security Review") [lines to take for media enquiries] [released Dec 2014]