We, the Plymouth and District Post Office Advisory Committee, note that the Prime Minister, Mr Blair, on his recent visit to the region, announced that to help revive post offices 3,000 cash dispensers are to be fitted outside post offices to assist with benefit payments.

Those of us on this advisory committee, and committees like ours around the country, have for some years been waiting for Post Office Counters Limited to start paying benefits at post offices through their long awaited Horizon system.

This system was originally intended to keep track of all counter transactions, including benefit payments using a swipe card.

However, when the Government decided not to proceed with paying benefits in this way, even though all post offices are now having the Horizon system installed, but to start paying benefits direct to bank accounts instead, we started to make representation in the appropriate quarters to get the Government to think again.

We contacted all our local Members of Parliament at the time but there was no real support there then.

It would now seem that as a sop to the universal criticism of payment of benefits direct to bank accounts 3,000 cash dispensers are to be installed. How will this, we ask, help post offices?

The best the sub-postmaster can hope for is a fee for replenishing the cash machine and the anticipation that some of the money drawn out in this way will be spent in this post office or shop.

How can the benefit be paid in full when the sums are rarely round sums in multiples of £10? - £5 notes and small change are not available through a machine. How will the elderly cope with PIN (personal identification numbers) particularly if they are collecting for other people?

It should be noted that there are only going to be 3,000 cash machines when in fact there are over 18,000 post offices. Or does the Government think that after the dust has settled, and benefits are paid into bank accounts, there will only be 3,000 post offices left?

ERIC DISTIN - Chairman

Plymouth & District Post Office Advisory Committee