Alex White (Dublin South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I understand that the Department of Social Protection recently amended its old age pension application forms to reorder the list of payment options available to new beneficiaries, putting EFT payment first and relegating payment via the post office second. This is because electronic payment is often more convenient for recipients, as well as being cheaper for the Department to process. I understand that the revised form was sent to An Post for distribution at post offices and that this is a requirement under its contract with the Department of Social Protection. I further understand that this has attracted criticism from the Irish Postmasters Union. The form is for use by new recipients only so that the impact will not be significant, at least not initially given that the majority of new benefit recipients choose to receive their payments via EFT through the banking system.

I am advised that this move by the Department of Social Protection is in line with its move towards electronic payments, as there is a significant cost saving associated with such payments relative to over-the-counter cash transactions.

See this speech in context