§ Mr. Millanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the limits laid down by his Department above which Girocheques issued are payable only through a bank; how these limits are determined; whether they are applied by all local offices of his Department; and when they were last updated.
§ Mr. WhitneyThe amount above which Girocheques issued by the Department are crossed is £150. The level at which Girocheques should be crossed is determined in conjunction with National Girobank and the Post Office. The level is subject to periodical review at which account is taken of(a) the number of payments of benefit above a given level; and (b) the need to protect both the beneficiary and the Department from fraudulent encashment of large amounts. All local offices of the Department apply the £150 crossing limit; which took effect from December 1981 and is currently under review.