§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps he proposes to take in respect of payments to pensioners, war pensioners and parents receiving child benefits resulting from the recommendations issued in the report by the Comptroller and Auditor General entitled, "Arrangements for Delivery of Social Security Benefits."
§ Mr. NewtonThe Report makes clear that we have already introduced payment of certain benefits directed to bank and building society accounts by credit transfer, as recommended by a Rayner scrutiny, as an alternative to the traditional method of payment by order book across post office counters. Take-up of this new method of payment has so far been disappointingly low, and we have begun a survey of current public attitudes towards methods and frequency of payment of benefits to help us in considering whether further steps would be appropriate.
§ Mr. Peter Bruinvelsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how much money was paid out in (a) unemployment benefit and (b) supplementary benefit 575W within the City of Leicester in 1984 and in each of the preceding four years; and how these figures compare with the equivalent national figure.
§ Mr. WhitneyThis information is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.