§ Mr. Masonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will reimburse additional costs, such as bus fares, incurred by pensioners whose payments have been disrupted by the industrial action at the Newcastle computer and who have to travel to local social security offices to receive payment; and if he will make a statement.
§ Dr. BoysonThe arrangements the Department has made for paying pensioners affected by the strike at our Newcastle office should not result in many of them having to visit local offices. Those who do so should have their travelling expenses met and current instructions to local offices are being re-inforced to make this quite clear.
§ Mr. Masonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services, pursuant to the answer of 7 June, Official Report, column 276, regarding pensioner payments affected by industrial action in his Department at Newcastle upon Tyne, how long on average it is taking to arrange payments to persons who had applied for, but not received, payments by credit transfer.
§ Dr. BoysonThe information required is not available. However, if a person who has applied for payment by credit transfer is a new pensioner who has not previously received payment fom the Newcastle office, the local office should still have details of the pension award and will be able to make immediate emergency payments on request. Similarly, if a pensioner who has applied for payment by credit transfer has been receiving his pension by order book issued from Newcastle, the local office will be able to make an emergency payment immediately if the 357W pensioner can produce his old pension order book. If the old book is not available, the local office will be able to make a payment as soon as it has confirmed the amount to be paid.