§ Mr. WebbTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) when each benefit will begin to be paid by automated credit transfer; [91285]
(2) in what sequence state retirement pensions will be transferred to payment by automated credit transfer. [91287]
§ Mr. McCartneyFor some time now the Department has been able to pay benefits into a bank or building society account.
647WWe have started to write to customers to request their account details as part of the move to direct payment. People will start to be paid this way rather than by paper-based methods from April 2003. We started with some Child Benefit and Veterans Agency customers, and will begin to contact people in receipt of Retirement Pension from the end of January.
The conversion exercise will be completed by 2005.
§ Mr. WebbTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if the migration of each benefit case load to automated credit transfer will take place on a common date. [91286]
§ Malcolm WicksThe conversion exercise from paper based methods of payment to direct payment into a bank or building society accounts will be phased. It began in October 2002 when we started to write out to some Veterans Agency and Child Benefit customers to request their account details. Payment into accounts will start from April 2003.
Other benefits will be phased in from January this year and the whole exercise is due to be completed in 2005.
§ Mr. WebbTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when automated credit transfer invitation letters will be sent out to each type of benefit recipient. [91288]
§ Malcolm WicksThe first invitation letters were issued to some Veterans Agency and Child Benefit customers in October 2002. The first invitation letters for Retirement Pension will be issued later this month. The invitation process for customers in receipt of working age benefits will begin from March 2003. We will start to invite other benefit recipients from July 2003.