Written question asked by Lynne Jones (Labour) on Monday, 29 March 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 20 April 2004. It was answered by Ivor Caplin (Labour) on Tuesday, 20 April 2004 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Ministry of Defence

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what alternative methods of payment he is proposing for people who currently receive a war pension by order book, girocheque or payable order but will be unable to transfer to direct payment; who will be eligible to receive their war pension by methods other than direct payment.

Answer: Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what alternative methods of payment he is proposing for people who currently receive a war pension by order book, girocheque or payable order but will be unable to transfer to direct payment. [165214] (2) who will be eligible to receive their war pension by methods other than direct payment. [165215] Ivor Caplin: The Veterans Agency (VA) has always accepted that for a very limited number of customers, those most vulnerable and genuinely unable to manage Direct Payment, this method of payment may not be practical or suitable for their needs. For those customers the VA will provide an alternative method of payment that will take the form of a weekly cheque. This will be sent to the pensioner's home by first class post and they will be able to cash it at any post office.

Secondary information