§ MR. VINCENT KENNEDY (Cavan, W.)To ask Mr. Chancellor of the 1150 Exchequer if he will state the amount of credit balance and the amount on deposit in the joint stock banks for the last financial year in Great Britain, and in Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria-Hungary, and Sweden; and will he state the amounts on deposit in the Post Office Savings Bank and the Trustee Savings Banks for the above countries, where figures are available, for the last financial year.
(Answered by Mr. Asquith.) I have no official statistics as to the amount of deposits in joint stock banks either in this country or abroad. As regards savings banks in the United Kingdom, on the 31st December, 1906 (the close of the Post Office Savings Bank year) the amount due to depositors in the Post Office Savings Banks was £155,966.446; and on 20th November, 1906 (the close of the Trustee Savings Bank year), the amount due to depositors in the Trustee Savings Banks was £53.009.299. I have not the information which would enable me to answer the hon. Member's Question relative to foreign savings banks in a complete manner; but I would refer him to pages 170 to 205 of the Board of Trade Blue Book, British and Foreign Trade and Industry [Cd. 2337], where the subject is very fully treated.