§ Mr. David HeathTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what assessment he has made of the percentage of benefit payments which will still be made in cash following the transfer to automated credit transfer in 2003; [125254]
(2) what changes he intends to make to the mechanism for cash payments of benefit following the transfer to automated credit transfer in 2003. [125255]
§ Mr. RookerFrom 2003 we intend to move from the traditional paper-based methods of benefit payment to a more secure and efficient method of paying benefits through Automated Credit Transfer (ACT). All benefit recipients will still be able to collect their cash from the post office after 2003 if they wish, and we anticipate that a number will wish to take advantage of this option.