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CIRCULATION: NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL AIS PC NW 06 04
Your Ret
Ot CBIEJAIPC NW 06 01 National Federation of
SubPostmasters
6th November 1998
Evelyn House
22 Windlesham Gardens
Shoreham by Sea
West Susgex N43 SAZ
CIRCULATION: NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
Dear Executive Officer,
HORIZON PROGRAMME
As you will see by the attached correspondence following a well informed article in
Computer Weekly of 5th November we have written to Alistair Darling in strident terms.
We understand from sources that the threat to the Benefits Payment card is real and
this is the moment for the Federation to be forthright in its dealings with the
Government. We will, of course, keep you fully advised of developments but hope that
this early strong letter to the Government may help to retain the previous promises we
have received.
Yours sincerely,
COLIN BAKER
General Secretary
enclosure
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CIRCULATION: NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
Your Ref:
Our Ref:
CB/EJA/PC NW 06 01
Sth November 1998
The Rt. Hon. Alistair Darling Esq. ;
Secretary of State for Social Security
Department of Social Security General Secretary
Richmond House CouN Barer
79 Whitehall Assistant General Secretaries
London SW1A 2NS : Kevin Davis,
PAUL HEASMAN
COMPUTER WEEKLY ARTICLE
I was shocked to read the report in Computer Weekly this moming which purported to have
senior Government officials as its source. .
The suggestion that the Benefit Payment Card is to be dropped would completely contradict
assurances given by Kate Hoey on behalf of your Department at the National Federation of
Sub-Postmasters’ annual conference in May, and by the Rt Hon. Peter Mandelson
yesterday at the Trade and Industry Select Committee.
It would also appear to undermine the proposals put forward by the Prime Minister at the
Labour Party Conference in September for a single account - pilots of which I understood
were going to be developed jointly between yourselves and The Post Office.
“1 would like to’make it quite clear that any proposal to automate the post office network
which does not involve the continuation of the Benefits Payment Card would be wholly
unacceptable to Sub-Postmasters, who have invested their livelihoods on the basis of
assurances given by your Government.
The continued payment of benefits via the post office network is crucial to the survival of
thousands of sub post offices. Removing this income would leave the network unstable
and unable to survive long term.
! look forward to a speedy response to clarify that you will not let Sub-Postmasters down by
Feneging on previous promises. I also hope you will do everything possible to prevent your
officials from helping further scurrilous articles to appear in the press, which can only serve
to undermine Sub-Postmasters’ confidence in the integrity of this Government.
I am sending a copy of this letter to the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for Trade and
Industry, The Treasury Chief Secretary and to the Managing Director of Post Office
Counters.
COLIN BAKER
General Secreta
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NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
CIRCULATION:
Fieding a path... Mendeteon seas the post office ax « Businesz
MPs quiz Civil Aviation
Authority on Swanwick
tion Authority and Bit Sem- I I
ple, chief executive of I.
& COMMITTEE of MPs
have raised = Computer
Weekly's concerns about the
Government's choice of in-
1 of the
. rampshire.
Compucer Weekly bas
revealed there is a clase busi-
ness relationship between
National Aic Traffic Services
and the State-owned Defence
Evaluation Research Agency
Whick was appointed by the
Goverament to conduct an
National Air Traffic:
have been
ional Air Tratfic Services.
says they arc not the right
people, that you are in bed
with chem ... how do you
respond?” ais
Field and Seraphe said they
were satisfied r “the agen
ey'’s credentia, j an inds-
Bil Sacobaand Stephen Phiips
THE GOVERNMENT is
considering a radical rescue
package 10 selvage ICL's
troubled flba post office
automation project.
A seaior source seid the
benefits payment swipe card,
Touied as the £150m-a-year
antidote to social security
fraud wher the conteact was
signed in 1996, may be scrap-
pod under a “ major reconfig-
uretion of the contract”.
“The benefits payment
card doesn’t have to form
pact of the contract if it's
changed,” added the govera-
ment insider.
Ministers are flocked into
last-minute talke with 1CL
and the Post Office on the
Benefits c
futare of the project—
BA-Pocl or Pathway —which
has faced the axe sisice April
when the Treastiry instigated
a criels review.
ICListwo years tate deliv
ezing a swipe, card-enabled
platform to computerise
19.245 post offices.
ar
Gi F2
The government is prest-
ing ahead with plans
announced by Tony Blair at
fast month's Labour Party
eonferenor, for post offices to
host accounts for the esti-
mated 5% of the poputation
— mostly benefits claimants ~
shunned by high-street benks.
HatWestunvells co cash dispenser
NatWest hes introduced » coin dispenser-caabled cash
miechine which would affow benefits payments ta be dis-
peased trom: the hole-in-the-wali-type machine.
‘The technology overcomes the problem. of automated
teller raachines only dispensing cash in muttipies of £10,
which has prevented banks affering this service
BeneBis could also be downloaded as elecisanic cash
from cash machines using a Mandex card, said 4 spokesman
for NatWest.
dfaces axe
News
The proposals would pave
of “removing am i
to proceeding with the
ject”. An (CL spakesw
said ICL remained contasit-