§ Mr. Cartwrightasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to what extent his Department makes use of Giro facilities; what is the estimated annual value of such Giro transactions; and what regular consideration is given to extending the use of Giro.
§ Mr. John SilkinMy Department makes most of its payments by payable orders drawn on the Paymaster-General, as this is the cheapest method. Staff may be paid through the National Giro if they so wish, and salaries and wages amounting to about £1 million a year are issued in this way. My Department's standard invoice for services allows for payments to be made by direct transfer into its National Giro account but only about £7,000 has been received in this form in the last 12 months. The use of National Giro is reviewed regularly.