British pension payment difficulties
Blaney asked about difficulties caused by monthly bank payments to British pensioners in Ireland. Woods said UK pensions were paid by payable order every four weeks because Irish post offices could not convert currency; a request for weekly payments had been made.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if his attention has been drawn to the difficulties experienced by old age pensioners, in receipt of British pensions under the present system of monthly payments through the banks, who are finding this system unworkable for domestic reasons.
Comment on this
Since October 1979 British social welfare pensioners residing in this country are paid direct by payable orders issued by the Department of Health and Social Security at four-weekly intervals.
As post offices in this country do not operate a currency conversion service it was not possible to continue the arrangement whereby British pensions were cashed weekly at Irish post offices.
Representations were made by my Department to have the pensions paid at weekly intervals but the British Ministry intimated that all their overseas pensioners were being placed on the same system of payment and that they were not prepared to make an exception in the case of pensioners residing in this country.
If any pensioner is unable to cash a British pension he/she may apply to the local community welfare officer for payment of supplementary welfare allowance.