§ Mr. WebbTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will estimate the number of recipients of(a) family credit and (b) the working families tax credit who receive payment at a post office broken down to the smallest possible geographical level; and if he will estimate the value to the Post Office of that business in each case. [101609]
§ Dawn Primarolo[holding answer 6 December 1999]: I have been asked to reply.
People being paid Family Credit and Working Families Tax Credit by order book cash their payable orders at post offices. Between 1 October and 12 December 1999, the number of awards made which resulted in an order book being issued was as follows:
Family credit WFTC Great Britain 18,138 294,179 Northern Ireland 1,456 12,910 Total 19,594 307,089 A further geographical breakdown is not available.
The value to the Post Office of the business this represents is commercially confidential.