§ Miss McIntoshTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the impact that switching payments from benefits and pensions books to bank transfers will have on local post offices and sub-post offices. [106076]
§ Mr. Alan JohnsonThe automation of the post office network, which is due for completion by the spring of 2001, will enable the Post Office to extend its arrangements with the high street banks to offer a range of banking facilities at post offices. This will mean that benefit recipients who wish to access their benefits in cash at post offices will continue to be able to do so, both before and after the migration of benefit payments to automated credit transfer from 2003, while other bank customers will benefit from the wider availability of banking facilities, particularly in rural areas.
§ Mr. AshdownTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make available all information relating to the proportion of business income accounted for by Benefits Agency business for post offices within(a) Somerset and (b) the Yeovil constituency; and if he will make a statement. [104749]
§ Mr. Byers[holding answer 20 January 2000]: The proportion of business income accounted for by Benefits Agency business for post offices varies from post office to post office.