§ Mr. Stan Thorneasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will revise the rule operated by his Department in respect of the re-issue of lost Giro payments only after seven weeks has expired in view of the considerable hardship this creates.
§ Mrs. Chalker:The Department normally replaces a lost Girocheque only after a check that the original has not been cashed, a process which takes some weeks, but special procedures can apply in cases of financial hardship.