§ MR. J. E. ELLISI beg to ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether loss has arisen to the depositors at any other of the 43 Trustee Savings Banks which have closed or are closing (out of a total of 303 existing on 20th November, 1891) than at Sudbury; and, if so, what are their names and what are the sums deficient; and what was the total sum for which the 38 Savings Banks, which had actually closed up to the 20th November, 1893, were liable to their depositors, and how much of this consisted of deposits which had been unclaimed for a year before the banks closed?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER (Sir W. HARCOURT, Derby)Except in the case of Sudbury no loss has arisen to the depositors in connection with the closing of the 43 Trustee Savings Banks referred to by the hon. Member. At the date of the last Annual Return of the 38 banks which had closed during the two years to the 20th November, 1893, the total sum for which the Trustees were liable to their depositors was £1,168,804 2s. 10d. Of this sum £88,194 17s. 2d. was transferred to the Post Office Savings Bank in respect of accounts which had not been applied for, but the banks being closed there are no means of ascertaining the number of accounts in which no transactions have taken place for more than a year. There is no reason to suppose that with the majority of cases the depositors will not appear and claim their deposits.
§ MR. HOWELL (Bethnal Green, N.E.)Do not the National Debt Commissioners keep any record of unpaid accounts?
§ SIR W. HARCOURTThe answer is that they have no means of ascertaining the number of accounts on which no 352 transactions have taken place for more than a year. These are matters of great importance, and I must ask for notice of such questions; I cannot answer them offhand.