§ Mr. Fortescueasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what use his Department makes 299W of the National Giro for regular payments of salaries and pensions, and for other purposes; and, in view of the under-used capacity of the Giro, whether he will consider using it more.
§ Mr. FoleyMy Department is aware of the facilities available from Giro both for financial transactions generally and for payments of salaries and wages in particular. Regard is had to economy, efficiency and convenience in considering methods of payment. In only a few cases so far have staff requested payment of salaries by Giro but we are considering what further publicity we can give. Pensions are not paid by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.