Mr. William O'BrienTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many future pensioners in Northern Ireland have received forms requesting information as to the payment of retirement pensions; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. HagueI have been asked to reply.
The administration of retirement pensions is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from Michael Bichard to Mr. William O'Brien, dated 8 June 1993:
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking how many future pensioners in Northern Ireland have received forms requesting information as to the payment of retirement pension.In any one year the Benefits Agency issues automatically to addresses in Northern Ireland, on behalf of the Social Security Agency in Northern Ireland, about 21,000 invitations to claim retirement pension for people approaching pension age (65 for a man and 60 for a woman). The claim form asks the person to choose the method by which they wish their pension to be paid. This can be either directly into a bank or building society account every 4 or 13 weeks or by weekly order book at a post office.I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also be placed in the Library. I am copying this letter to Mr. Alec Wylie the Chief Executive of the Social Security Agency in Northern Ireland.