HC Deb 23 November 1893 vol 18 cc1556-7
MR. J. E. ELLIS (Nottingham, Rushcliffe)

I beg to ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether any of the 165 Trustee Savings Banks mentioned by the Inspection Committee in their Report as having been inspected by them up to 20th November, 1892, have closed since then;, if so, could he state what are their names, and what were the causes of their closing; how many of the 114 Trustee Savings Banks uninspected up to 20th November, 1892, have since been inspected; whether any of these have closed; and, if so, what are their names,, and for what reason has this occurred; and how many vacancies, owing to nonperformance of duties incumbent upon them, have occurred among Trustees and Managers during the year ending 20th November, 1893, under Section 7, Subsection (1) of "The Savings Banks Act, 1891," and been reported as required by Section 7, Sub-section 7, (2) of the same Act?

THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER (Sir W. HARCOURT,) Derby

Ten of the Trustee Savings Banks inspected prior to 1892 have since closed; their names are Alton, Aylesbury, Chip-penham, Folkingham, Hertford, Newark on Trent, Penzance, Rotherham, Saffron Walden, and Tullamore. Two others— Bedale and Otley—are also in process of closing. All the banks uninspected in November, 1892, have since been inspected. Four of them have been closed —namely, Calne, Melksham, Petworth, and Tufton Street, Westminster; and two are in process of closing—namely, Abbeyleix and Haverford west. Sixty-one vacancies have occurred amongst the Trustees and Managers during the current year, so far as the Returns have been at present received. Amongst the reasons given for closing the various banks are—(a) Resignations of Trustees; (b) diminishing business; (c) inability or unwillingness to comply with statutory requirements, or to reduce the expenditure for management; (d) difficulty in securing attendance of Managers.

MR. GOSCHEN (St. George's, Hanover Square)

May I inquire whether a portion of these banks have not been closed owing to the action of the Inspection Committee, and the greater activity which has been evinced in regard to them?

Sir W. HARCOURT

Undoubtedly that is so.