§ Mr. Rhodri Morgan (Cardiff, West)This petition has more than 4,000 signatures and has been collected on the street and door to door and in post offices in my constituency of Cardiff, West following the way in which pensioners and others were scandalised and put into a state of deep anxiety by the pilot project by the Department of Social Security to change the method of payment of pensions and benefits from payment via the Post Office to payment by automatic credit transfer to banks and building society accounts.
I shall read out the petition, having described it briefly. It states:
We, the undersigned wish to express our opposition to any proposals implemented by Her Majesty's Government which would result in the public not having the right to have their state pensions and benefits paid through the Post Office. We believe that the freedom to have them paid through the Post Office is vital and that the Post Office performs a central function to those who currently collect their benefits and pensions from it and that the withdrawal of this right will involve the closure of many post offices and sub post offices which are vital to communities and to the people who currently use them. We therefore request that the House of Commons urge Her Majesty's Government to withdraw its proposals and continue to allow payment of pensions and benefits through the Post Office.
§ To lie upon the Table.