§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if will list in theOfficial Report the number of his Department's letters (Form No. CH (A) 1702 REV) sent in each region of the United Kingdom; what is his Department's existing budget for this mailing campaign; how many such messages are planned to be sent in future; which benefits other than child benefit will receive the same attention in this way; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Peter LloydForms CH(A) 1702 REV are issued centrally to recipients of child benefit. Information is not available of numbers sent by region, but a total of some 3.6 million have been issued. No specific budget is allocated to promoting automated credit transfer and the costs are met from the social security publicity budget of £12.77 million for 1988–89. The issue of similar letters to all retirement pensioners who were not already paid by automated credit transfer has been completed and the child benefit exercise is due to finish in April 1989. We have no current plans to extend the issue of these letters to other beneficiaries.