§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in the Portsmouth South constituency drew their(a) benefits including war pensions and (b) retirement pensions at (i) post offices and (ii) banks and building societies, in each of the last three years for which figures are available. [165353]
§ Chris PondThe information is not available in the format requested. However, information available on pensioners (women over 60 and men over 65) as at 31 December 2002 and 31 December 2003 in the Portsmouth South constituency receiving benefit payments collectable at a post office and by direct payment into bank and building society accounts, is in the tables.
Other Benefit accounts as at December each year in Portsmouth South Constituency
Payments into Bank/ Building Society
Accounts
Payments through Post Office
December 2002 3,995 9,330 December 2003 5,725 8,045
Reitrement Pension accounts as at December each year in Portsmouth South Constituency
Payments into Bank/ Building Society
Accounts
Payments through Post Office
December 2002 5,790 6,640 December 2003 6,135 5,410 Included in payment through the post office are customers paid into Post Office card accounts and customers paid by girocheque. Girocheques are encashable either at a post office or they can be paid into 444W a bank or building society account. These figures do not include war pensions and child benefit customers as these accounts are the responsibility of the Ministry of Defence and Inland Revenue respectively.
Some customers who are paid direct into an account can also collect their payments in cash at post offices through the wider range of banking services now available at the post office. There is no data available on the number of benefit claims collected in this way.
§ Bob SpinkTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the take up of direct payment has been. [166230]
§ Chris PondKey figures on the progress of conversion to Direct Payment are available in the Library, updated every four weeks.
§ Sandra GidleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) to how many benefit claimants the Department has sent personal invitation letters to open a Post Office Card Account; and how many of these are in receipt of state pensions; [166011]
(2) how many benefit claimants have completed the Post Office Card Account application forms at post offices; and how many of these are in receipt of state pensions; [166012]
(3) how many benefits claimants are being paid by the Department directly into Post Office card accounts; and how many of these are pensioners. [166082]
§ Chris PondKey figures on the progress of conversion to Direct Payment are available in the Library, updated every four weeks.
Post Office Limited have advised that as at 31 March 2004 over 2.1 million Post Office card accounts had been opened. The Post Office does not break these figures down into individual benefit groups therefore specific data for pensioners is not available.
The number of Department for Work and Pensions benefit accounts being paid into a Post Office card account as at 20 March 2004 is 679,355 of which 172,345 are Retirement Pension accounts.
As many customers have already provided their account details it is expected that the figures for Direct Payment into Post Office card accounts will quickly rise, as customers existing methods of payment expire, and they move over to payment being made direct into their nominated account.
§ Mr. Edward DaveyTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff are employed by his Department to call members of the public who have yet to sign up for electronic payment of their benefits into bank or Post Office accounts. [165709]
§ Chris PondThe conversion process normally consists of one or more mailings sent directly to the customer, followed by a phone call if there is no response to the letter(s). If the customers' telephone number is not available then a further letter asking them to contact the Department may be issued.
Approximately 150 of the staff employed by the Customer Conversion center are involved in making outbound calls. This is just part of the range of tasks undertaken by the Customer Conversion center aimed 445W at assisting over 14 million customers to convert to Direct Payment before order books are phased out in 2005.