Ian Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lucas on 2014-03-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his policy is on the payment of benefits into post office card accounts.

Steve Webb

The Department pays benefits and pensions by Direct Payment into a bank, building society, credit union or Post Office card account.

The Post Office card account is a very simple account with limited functionality. Our policy has always been clear that the best option, especially for people of working age, is an account that can accept payments from employers and has transactional facilities such as direct debits for the payment of bills and housing costs.

The Department is currently in discussions with Post Office Ltd and the Department for Business Innovation and Skills to consider the future needs of customers beyond 2015.