§ Mr. Hillasked the Secretary of State for Social Services, in view of the current Post Office practice for cashing of his Department's benefit cheques that identity must be proved only for amounts over £50, if he will make it a condition of the use of the Post Office for this business that it should require identity to be produced in all circumstances.
§ Mr. NewtonNo. Under current instructions, evidence of identity is required at the post office if the girocheque presented for payment is for more than £50 or, whatever the amount of the girocheque, if there is any reason to120W doubt the identity of the payee. Over 120 million benefit girocheques are issued each year. It is estimated that extending identity checking to all girocheque encashments would incur for the Department an additional cost of over £2 million a year.