§ Mr. Cartwrightasked the Secretary of State for Social Services to what extent his Department makes use of Giro facilities; what is the estimated annual value of such Giro transactions; and what regular consideration is given to extending the use of Giro.
§ Mr. DeakinsIn the 1976–77 financial year, my Department made 113 million payments of short-term social security benefits—for example, sickness, unemployment benefits etc.—and administrative expenses by Girocheques; their value was £2,250 million. Payment methods 407W are kept under constant review, but there is very little scope for increasing the present use of Giro.