Benefit Claimants (Bank Accounts)

HC Deb 25 March 1999 vol 328 c389W

Mr. Field

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the percentage of benefit (i) claimants and (ii) recipients of state pensions who have neither a bank account nor a National Savings Account. [78231]

Mr. Timms

Estimates of total number of benefit claimants who have neither a bank account nor a National Savings Account vary. The various sources of information available suggest the proportion to be in the region of 10–20 per cent.

The information available suggests that the proportion of recipients of state pensions who have neither a bank account nor a National Savings Account is in the region of 5 per cent.