Benefits Payment (Hansard, 28 April 2004)

§ Mr. Willetts
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many benefit recipients there are in each constituency in Great Britain; and how many of them collect their benefits from post offices, excluding those who use network banking arrangements. [167329]

§ Mr. Pond
The information is not available in the format requested. A table has been placed in the Library, which provides the total number of benefits in each constituency, and shows how many of those accounts receive at least one benefit payable at a post office. The information is from data available at 21 February 2004.

§ Mr. Willetts
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners draw their benefits at(a) post offices and (b) banks or building societies in the Havant constituency. [167331]

§ Mr. Pond
Information available on pensioners (women over 60 and men over 65) as at 21 February 2004 in the Havant constituency receiving benefit payments collectable at a post office and by Direct Payment into bank and building society accounts, is as follows.

Number of pensioner benefit accounts in the Havant parliamentary constituency paid at a post office or into a bank or building society

Havant

Total paid at post office 8,995

Total paid by direct payment payment into a bank or building society account 14,655

Source:

IAD information centre, 100 percent sample.

Numbers of people receiving disability living allowance (DLA) whose main disabling condition is psychosis¹, psychoneurosis, personality disorder, or alcohol abuse, broken down by age group at 31 August in each year from 1992 to 2003.

Thousand

Age 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997

All 23.9 40.3 57.1 82.3 106.7 136.2

Unknown 8.1 ^*0.5 — — — —

0–4 0.6 ^*0.3 ^*0.2 ^*0.1 ^*0.2 ^*0.1

05–9 0.7 0.5 ^*0.4 ^*0.3 0.5 0.6

10–15 ^*0.3 ^*0.4 0.5 ^*0.5 0.5 0.7

16–19 ^*0.2 ^*0.4 ^*0.3 0.7 1.0 1.4

1052W
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 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.

Number of pensioner benefit accounts in the Havant parliamentary constituency paid at a post office or into a bank or building society
Havant
Total paid at post office	8,995
Total paid by direct payment payment into a bank or building society account	14,655
Source:
IAD information centre, 100 percent sample.

Numbers of people receiving disability living allowance (DLA) whose main disabling condition is psychosis¹, psychoneurosis, personality disorder, or alcohol abuse, broken down by age group at 31 August in each year from 1992 to 2003.
Thousand
Age	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997
All	23.9	40.3	57.1	82.3	106.7	136.2
Unknown	8.1	^*0.5	—	—	—	—
0–4	0.6	^*0.3	^*0.2	^*0.1	^*0.2	^*0.1
05–9	0.7	0.5	^*0.4	^*0.3	0.5	0.6
10–15	^*0.3	^*0.4	0.5	^*0.5	0.5	0.7
16–19	^*0.2	^*0.4	^*0.3	0.7	1.0	1.4