HC Deb 16 December 1977 vol 941 c598W
Mr. Alexander Fletcher

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what action he proposes to take following the double payment of the £10 Christmas bonus to some widows; and whether he intends making a public appeal for the overpayment to be returned, on a purely voluntary basis, in fairness to those widows who have already done so.

Mr. Orme

The notices in the Press giving details of the Christmas bonus made it clear that only one payment could be made for each person, and the indications are that, as a result, a good proportion of the overpayments have been refunded.

I would, however, like to take the opportunity of the hon. Member's Question to ask any beneficiary who has received a duplicate payment of the bonus and not returned it to the local social security office to do so.