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registered interest false more like this
date less than 2021-08-18more like thismore than 2021-08-18
answering body
Department for Work and Pensions more like this
answering dept id 29 more like this
answering dept short name Work and Pensions more like this
answering dept sort name Work and Pensions more like this
hansard heading Post Office Card Account more like this
house id 1 more like this
legislature
25259
pref label House of Commons more like this
question text To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a secure alternative to the Post Office Card Account (POca) card for those without a bank account, which offers face-to-face support for those requiring assistance. more like this
tabling member constituency Rutherglen and Hamilton West remove filter
tabling member printed
Margaret Ferrier more like this
uin 40938 more like this
answer
answer
is ministerial correction false more like this
date of answer less than 2021-09-08more like thismore than 2021-09-08
answer text <p>We recognise that not all of our customers are able to open and operate standard accounts, which is why we offer an alternative for those customers.</p><p> </p><p>The Post Office card account (POca) contract is due to end and the Department plans to start moving customers to the replacement Payment Exception Service (PES) during the coming months.</p><p> </p><p>The new PES is similar to Her Majesty’s Government Payment Exception Service (HMG PES) which has been in place since 2018 and is due to end in September 2021. The HMG PES service has successfully served our most vulnerable customers by the issue of vouchers which are uploaded to a card or sent electronically via SMS or email.</p><p> </p><p>The replacement PES has also been designed for customers who cannot open or manage a basic bank or standard account. We have ensured that the new service enables users to continue to obtain cash payments in their local area (including suburban and rural locations) following the end of the Post Office card account contract.</p><p> </p><p>Customers identified as at risk of harm will receive additional support before being migrated to the new service. This includes outbound calls to make contact with the customer or their nominated representative and referral to the DWP visiting service to make face-to-face contact where a call is unsuccessful or identifies that a visit is required. Post migration we will track the encashment of vouchers by all customers to ensure that they are accessing the payments they receive at the level we would expect. This post migration support is significantly stronger than currently exists for POca.</p>
answering member constituency Hexham more like this
answering member printed Guy Opperman more like this
question first answered
less than 2021-09-08T13:08:04.337Zmore like thismore than 2021-09-08T13:08:04.337Z
answering member
4142
label Biography information for Guy Opperman more like this
tabling member
4386
label Biography information for Margaret Ferrier more like this