Mr. Ronald W. Brownasked the Secretary of State for Employment, following his letter to the hon. Member for Hackney, South and Shoreditch, indicating that Mrs. R. Griffin would have to wait seven weeks for her benefit payment as a result of a lost Girocheque, if he will ensure that full interest will be paid on the sum due when the seven-week period has expired; and if he will make this his practice in every such case.
§ Mr. Waddington[pursuant to his reply, 1 June 1981]: Interest is not normally paid when a Girocheque reported as not received is replaced. An immediate replacement may be made, for instance in cases of hardship, but when an immediate replacement is not made it would not be appropriate to pay interest in respect of circumstances often outside the control of my Department.
There is, however, a scheme for payment of interest when, exceptionally, arrears of unemployment benefit amounting to at least £50 have not been paid within 12 months.
We do not propose to change these arrangements.