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Dept for Work and Pensions

Answer

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners draw their benefits at (a) post offices and (b) banks or building societies in the Havant constituency. [167331] Mr. Pond: Information available on pensioners (women over 60 and men over 65) as at 21 February 2004 in the Havant constituency receiving benefit payments collectable at a post office and by Direct Payment into bank and building society accounts, is as follows. Number of pensioner benefit accounts in the Havant parliamentary constituency paid at a post office or into a bank or building society _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Havant Total paid at post office 8,995 Total paid by direct payment into a bank or building society 14,655 account _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Source: IAD information centre, 100 percent sample. Included in payment through the post office are customers paid into post office card accounts and customers paid by girocheque. Girocheques are encashable either at a post office or they can be paid into a bank or building society account. These figures do not include war pensions and child benefit customers as these accounts are the responsibility of the Ministry of Defence and Inland Revenue respectively. Some customers who are paid direct into an account can also collect their payments in cash at post offices through the wider range of banking services now available at the post office. There is no data available on the number of benefit claims collected in this way.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

420 c1051-2W; 167331

Session

2003-04

Subjects

Pensioners Payments Post offices Social security benefits Havant Automated credit transfer

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

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