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CIRCULATION: NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL Al3 PC NW 06 OF
‘Your Ret
‘ ational Federati
ow. CB/EJAIPC NW 06 01 N eration of
PO PZ SubPostmasters
4th August 1998
Evelyn House
22 Windiesham Gardens
Shoreham by Sea
The Rt. Hon. Alistair Darling Esq. West Susges BRAS
Secretary of State for Social Security
Department of Social Security —
Richmond House Couns Baten
793 Whitehall ,
London SW1A 2NS Assistant General Secretaries
Kean Davis
Pats, HEASMAn
foes hy Yoavtene,
I write to congratulate you on your appointment as Secretary of State for Social
Security.
I would also introduce myself and our organisation to you and to put our views about
the importance of the Post Office network in the delivery of Government services in the
future.
Clearly Post Offices feature highly as being central to the way people receive their
pension or allowance and we are looking forward to the day when the delivery of these
services is automated using the Horizon platform. The platform will also be crucial in
the development of other products and services resulting from Welfare Reform and
Social Banking.
Because of recent press rumours that the Horizon programme is about to be aborted
we were extremely pleased to have had the rousing endorsement of Frank Field MP to
the automation platform and confirmation that the payment card will only be usable at
Post Offices. I cannot stress how important those reassurances are as I have been
coming under considerable pressure as General Secretary to “raise the profile” of what
is at risk for Sub-Postmasters. As I am sure you are aware, if the Horizon project or
the payment card were to be cancelled, the effect would be dire on Sub-Postmasters
and their £1 billion investment in the network. They would reasonably conclude that
despite all the promises of the past, the Government had given up on them. They
would see their livelihoods as being on the line, and could not be expected to take this
lying down. So reassuring statements such as those of Frank Field MP are very
helpful at the moment, although given Sub-Postmasters’ current mood, and until they
see Horizon rolling out in their post offices, we should not be surprised at occasional
outpourings of concern
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' have, of course, submitted to your Department a full response to the wider points, but
I thought that you would like to be aware of our view. I would welcome the opportunity
to discuss these matters with you at first hand.
COLIN BAKER
Genera! Secretary