HC Deb 16 July 1906 vol 160 cc1310-1
MR. FIELD

To ask the Postmaster-General whether any non-interest bearing accounts in the Savings Bank Department are transferred to the dormant ledgers, or whether all interest-bearing accounts are kept in the ordinary ledgers, no matter how long since the books were forwarded for examination or actual transactions took place on them; and, if so, whether he will cause all accounts on which no actual transactions have taken place, or the books forwarded, for a period of five years to be transferred to the dormant ledgers, an index of the names of these depositors kept, and a list periodically published, in order that the legal representatives of all deceased depositors may have facilities for claiming moneys due to them by the Savings Bank Department.

MR. FIELD

To ask the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that, owing to the fact that no index of depositors' names is kept in the Savings Bank Department, and that no list has ever been published showing unclaimed balances to the credit of depositors who have not forwarded their book for examination or deposited or withdrawn money for a number of years, sums of money are in the hands of the Government which the legal representatives of many of those depositors are entirely unaware of, whilst others find it very difficult to claim under the present system, unless they can supply particulars of deceased depositors' books; and whether he proposes to take any action in the matter.

(Answered by Mr. Sydney Buxton.) I may, perhaps, answer these Questions together. There is no regular system of transfers, either of interest bearing or of non-interest bearing accounts to dormant ledgers in the Post Office Savings Bank. As I informed the hon. Member on July 3rd,† I am not prepared to sanction the compilation and publication of a list of accounts that have not been operated on for a given period, nor the preparation of a general index of depositor's names, as I consider that the expense and inconvenience that would attend these under takings would more than counterbalance any advantage to depositors that might be derived from them. † See (i) Debates, clix., 1600.