§ 62. Mr. LOOKERasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will consider the question of setting up a committee to consider the desirability of extending the present list of trustee investments, in view of the changed conditions in the investment market as compared with those which were prevalent when the existing list of trustee securities was prescribed?
§ The FINANCIAL SECRETARY to the TREASURY (Mr. Arthur Michael Samuel)The matter was thoroughly investigated only last year by the Trustee Securities Committee and I would refer the hon. Member to their published Report (Command Paper 3107), in particular to paragraph 20.
§ Mr. LOOKERDoes not my hon. Friend consider that the time has arrived for the creation of some standing machinery to advise the Government of the inclusion in the trustee list of securities not now comprised in it?
§ Mr. SAMUELI rather feel that my hon. Friend has not realised that there are already £8,000,000,000 of securities in the Public Trustee List.
§ Mr. LOOKERHave the Treasury realised that the cost of living is very different now from what it was when that list was compiled and that it may be desirable to consider the inclusion of higher yielding securities of equal stability in the list?
§ Mr. SAMUELAll these matters were taken into consideration when the Lord Chancellor's Committee sat.