§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services why it took him until 28th November to reply to the letter dated 10th November from the hon. Member for West Ham, North concerning the payment of the £10 bonus to pensioners when information as contained in this letter was available and announced a week earlier.
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§ Mr. DeanThe information in my letter of 28th November was given as quickly as possible, bearing in mind the large volume of correspondence received from hon. Members and others on this subject and the overriding wish of all of us to complete this major operation as quickly as possible in the interests of pensioners.