§ Mr. Chope:To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action she is taking to increase the take-up of Post Office card accounts by pensioners. [141520]
§ Mr. Timms:None. What matters for the Post Office is attracting more customers, not whether they have a Post Office card account. Customers can now access a wide range of bank accounts at the post office and I hope that they choose to do so. The Department for Work and Pensions provides its customers with all the information that they need to choose the account into which they would like to have their benefits paid in future, including those accounts which provide post office access. The final choice of account is a matter of personal choice for each individual concerned. I understand that that as of 7 November 2003 more than 1 million Post Office card accounts had been opened.