HC Deb 16 April 1970 vol 799 c281W
63. Mrs. Ewing

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make arrangements to permit old-age pensioners to collect their pensions at any post office and to end the requirement that they must attend at one particular post office.

Mr. Ennals

No. Under the present system the pensioner himself chooses the post office at which he will regularly draw his pension and get his renewal books. To abandon this system would impair the high standards of reliability of distribution, security against loss or theft and economy of administration.

The pensioner can, however, change the post office of payment at any time by a very simple procedure without parting with his order-book and, following a recent modification, even that formality is unnecessary if he wants to cash not more than two orders at some other office—e.g. when on holiday.