§ Mr. Rookerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the cost to his Department of each benefit payment for which the Post Office makes a charge, showing total costs, average cost per payment and what the costs were when each benefit was introduced.
§ Mrs. ChalkerThe information is not available in the form requested. The payment to the Post Office for social security benefit encashments are governed by a contract covering all Government business, and the sum paid to the Post Office by the Department in any particular year depends upon a number of factors, not all within the Department's control. The cost to the Department in the financial year 1978–79 of all Post Office counter services is provisionally assessed at £132.5 million and covered 1,091 million individual transactions.