Viscount Ridley
Main Page: Viscount Ridley (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)Department Debates - View all Viscount Ridley's debates with the Department for Work and Pensions
(7 years, 8 months ago)
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Lord Henley
My Lords, there is no next trial planned at this stage. We are considering that. It is not a question of discounts but of the fact that those who have to deal purely in cash can find life very much more expensive than those who are able to pay by other, more advanced means. That is the point behind it.
Viscount Ridley (Con)
Does my noble friend agree that blockchain technology in general has applications far beyond this trial—indeed, all the way across government and society? Are the Government studying the phenomenon to check where it might be useful?
Lord Henley
My noble friend is absolutely right that very interesting ideas can come from blockchain and other things. I do not want to expand further on that in this Question. We are dealing with just a small-scale trial here, designed to make life easier for certain benefit claimants and to make it easier for them to manage their money.