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Dept for Work and Pensions

Answer

Mr. Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the statement of 11 June 2003, of the Minister for Pensions, Official Report, column 773, if he will list the client groups that his Department has contacted early on; and if he will make a statement on the order in which client groups will be written to inform them that they must specify a bank or a Post Office card account into which their benefits and pensions will be paid. [124134] Mr. Pond: The mailing exercise for direct payment began in October 2002 with four weekly paid child benefit customers and people in receipt of a war pension. Since then we have continued to issue mailings to recipients of these benefits and begun to issue mailings to people in receipt of weekly paid child benefit and those in receipt of pensions and some Jobcentre Plus benefits. These include income support, incapacity benefit, industrial injuries scheme benefits, severe disablement allowance, bereavement benefit and widows benefit. Jobseeker's allowance customers will be dealt with as part of their usual contact with the Department and will not receive a mailing. We will begin mailing customers in receipt of disability and carer benefits, including carer's allowance, disability living allowance and attendance allowance, from August 2003. The huge numbers of customers involved in the conversion process mean the changes will be phased over a two-year period. Customers do not need to do anything until they receive a letter from the Department.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

124134; 408 c611-2W;408 c609-10W

Session

2002-03

Subjects

Banks Pensions Payments Public participation Recipients Post offices Social security benefits Post office card account Automated credit transfer

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk