Payment to beneficiaries

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33611, 13 August 1974, Page 12

Payment to beneficiaries

Sir,—lt is to be hoped that the Government will seriously reconsider its proposal to change its method of payment to Social Welfare beneficiaries. Instead of the present annual book of 13 four-weekly vouchers, it is now planned to send one voucher, through the mail, to each beneficiary everv two weeks. This would be a colossal waste of time, manpower, and money — the latter at a time when Mr Rowling has particularly asked the Government to curb its spending. The disadvantages are numerous, without one redeeming fea-

ture. Mail has been known to be tampered with in letterboxes; also, single vouchers are more easily mislaid. Beneficiaries do go on holiday at times, and it is not always convenient or easy to find someone reliable to collect and forward mail. The obvious solution is to incorporate into each new book, as it becomes due, twentysix two-weekly vouchers, thus allowing each beneficiary the equivalent of his own convenient cheque book as at present.—Yours etc., M. E. MAXWELL. August 10, 1974.