Dear Listener

Was there or was there not a national publicity black-out on a schools initiative to help children understand personal finance?

Hundreds of primary and secondary schools in England are taking part in My Money Week which begins on Monday. But earlier this week we were told that a long planned visit by the Money Box team to schools in the North West of England to see My Money Week in action had been cancelled – and the people organising it said they were not allowed to tell us why.

Then My Money Week’s PR company Blue Rubicon told Money Box “basically we are holding off on our comms at the moment…All activities are on hold for My Money Week.” They referred us to the Department for Education.

We were separately told that the new Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove wanted to re-assess the £10 million three year initiative. And although the week-long programme has not been cancelled – it was rather too late to do that – all publicity had indeed been banned.

But when we asked the Department for Education why this black out was necessary we were eventually told there had been a misunderstanding. There never was a black-out. Although paid marketing programmes were all on hold as part of the re-examination of Government expenditure, chatting to journalists by people involved in Government supported programmes and giving out facts and figures was all right. However, the Department could not guarantee that the week – which is the second in a series of three – would be repeated next year as previously planned.

So, if we can re-arrange things again, you may hear something from what could be the last My Money Week next week after all.

Meanwhile in Money Box this week.

***State pension age will rise. But how far and how soon is still up for debate. And the rule which lets companies sack us for reaching the age of 65 will be scrapped by April 2011. I will talk live to the new Pensions Minister about the Coalition Government’s plans to make us work longer.

***It’s the economy, stupid. The phrase that propelled Bill Clinton into the US Presidency in 1992 could well have been used this week to justify the £14 billion rise in taxes on spending, the £11 billion cut in welfare benefits and the £21 billion of cuts in Government budgets. All on top of course of the cuts and higher taxes presaged by the last government’s Budget in March. Altogether £113 billion a year will be cut or raised in taxes by 2014/15.

***We look at some of the changes in detail. And ask economists whether this toughest of tough budgets was really necessary.

***We follow up on hundreds of emails you sent us about your experiences of having your debit or credit card blocked when you tried to use them abroad.

***And a fiver a month for an overdraft facility you have already agreed? You must be joking! Apparently not if you are a customer of….

….find out on Money Box at noon on Saturday, at nine pm on Sunday, or at any time on the website www.bbc.co.uk/moneybox. There you can also watch videos, follow up items, read web pieces, download transcripts, follow links, and send us stories or ideas you want us to look into. And Have Your Say on state pension age – and you can still tell us your candidates for T H E   A X E as the Government prepares its autumn Spending Review.

Best wishes,

Paul

PS don’t forget the programme trail on Breakfast on BBC 1 between 0845 and 0900 on Saturday.

e-mail Paul Lewis