Post Office Card Account

Part of Opposition Day — [20th Allotted Day] – in the House of Commons at 7:29 pm on 10 November 2008.

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Photo of Jennifer Willott Jennifer Willott Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 7:29, 10 November 2008

I beg to move,

That this House
notes with concern the fact that the Department for Work and Pensions has written to Post Office card account holders informing them that the Post Office card account contract ends in 2010; further notes that Post Office card account holders, many of whom have made a conscious decision to support the Post Office by retaining their card account, are being instructed to take out bank accounts in order to receive benefits beyond 2010; expresses its dismay at the fact that the letter does not mention the fact that a replacement for the current card account is currently out to tender, or make any mention of other Post Office products or services;
believes that this is a deliberate attempt to encourage people to switch payment to direct debit and remove the role of the Post Office;
further notes the additional damage inflicted on the Post Office by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, which is currently sending out licence renewal reminders as part of a communications campaign which makes no mention of the Post Office;
calls on Ministers in the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform to encourage Ministers in the Department for Work and Pensions to consider the impact on communities across the country if the Post Office card account is not renewed;
and encourages all Government departments to make their services available through post offices in order to ensure that they have a viable future.

The motion highlights the inconsistency between what the Government have said and what they are doing. One example of that is the fact that the Government amendment describes the title of the motion as "Removal of the Post Office Card Account". In fact, it is entitled "Renewal of the Post Office Card Account".