HC Deb 14 February 2003 vol 400 cc72-3W
Kate Hoey

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has received about the ease of access to information about the Post Office bank account. [97961]

Mr. Timms

DTI Ministers and officials regularly receive representations from a wide range of people and organisations about universal banking service, including the Post Office card account.

There will be post office access to a range of bank accounts. This will enable all those who wish to do so to continue to be able to collect their benefits in cash at post offices.

Our aim is that people should be able to choose the option that suits them best. Information about all the options is being supplied to benefit, pension and tax credit customers by the Department for Work and Pensions and the Inland Revenue. Post Office Ltd. will also be making its own material available to customers.

Miss McIntosh

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the provision of banking services by sub-post offices in North Yorkshire from 1 April. [98058]

Mr. Timms

Good progress continues to be made on universal banking services in advance of the migration of benefit payments to ACT. Post Office Ltd. currently provides information to customers on banking arrangements at Post Office branches. There will be post office access to a range of bank accounts. This will enable all those who wish to do so to continue to be able to collect their benefits in cash at post offices.

The Government and Post Office Ltd. are working together to ensure that frontline staff have all the information they need to answer any questions from customers about banking facilities in Post Office branches.

Post Office Ltd. has now sent three pieces of communication to all Post Office branches: a leaflet entitled "Your essential guide to your customers' banking options" to explain to sub-postmasters all the options available to customers; a customer child benefit leaflet for issue to customers; and a Banking Information Pack.

Mr. Jim Cunningham

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what promotion her Department has undertaken of the(a) Post Office Card Account and (b) high street banking options for receipt of benefits, pension payments and tax credits; and what discussions she has had on such promotion with the other Departments involved in the services covered by these methods. [97866]

Mr. Timms

There will be post office access to a range of bank accounts. This will enable all those who wish to do so to continue to be able to collect their benefits in cash at post offices. Information about all the options is being supplied to benefit, pension and tax credit customers by the Department for Work and Pensions and the Inland Revenue. Post Office Ltd. will also be making its own material available to customers.

Ministers and officials have regular contact with all the Departments involved.

Mr. Jim Cunningham

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with the Post Office to ensure that they will be able to cope with the effect on income of recipients choosing to pick up their benefits from cash machines or through banks without closures. [97865]

Mr. Timms

Ministers and officials have regular contact with Post Office Ltd. The Post Office's strategy is to respond to the Direct Payment with a range of banking and other services. How the migration of benefit payments affects the revenue of post offices will depend on a number of factors, not least how benefit recipients and other post office customers respond to change. In the meantime the Government have made a firm commitment to prevent avoidable rural closures, in the first instance to 2006; and we are investing very substantial sums in supporting the network through the challenges ahead—some £2 billion in total over the next five years.

A carefully planned programme of reductions in the number of urban post offices commenced recently.