§ 12.1 am
§ Mr. Elliot Morley (Glanford and Scunthorpe)I present a petition on behalf of the people of Glanford and Scunthorpe in relation to-the threat to sub-post offices and to the right of people to choose how they receive their benefits, whether through a bank account, a building society account or, as many of my constituents want, across the counter of their local post offices.
The petition has been raised in sub-post offices all over my constituency: in villages such as Broughton and Bottesford and in urban areas such as Lincoln gardens, Henderson avenue and Ashby. A whole range of sub-post offices shares this concern.
The petition says:
To the Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland assembled. The Humble Petition of the people of Glanford and Scunthorpe sheweth that the government is proposing to change the method of paying pensions and other benefits to Automated Credit Transfer without adequate choice, and we the undersigned vigorously protest against this proposal.Wherefore your Petitioners pray that your honourable House will urge the Secretary of State for Social Security to ensure that people will retain the clear right to cash their benefits at Post Offices.And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray.Assurances have been given, but assurances were given in the election and were broken. I hope that the Government take note of the petition.
§ To lie upon the Table.