HC Deb 20 October 2003 vol 411 c353W
1. Mrs. Dunwoody

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on(a) the proposed method of payment of state benefit for pensioners who cannot access a bank account and (b) the timetable for the receipt of such benefit after 2005. [132601]

Mr. Andrew Smith

While over 90 per cent. of pensioners have bank or building society accounts, and nearly half of all pensioners already choose to be paid by Direct Payment, we of course recognise that there will be some whom we will not be able to pay in this way.

We are presently consulting groups such as Age Concern, Help the Aged and the National Pensioners Convention about paying such pensioners by cheque.

We plan to have this service in place from October next year.