HC Deb 09 April 1940 vol 359 c468
65. Sir F. Sanderson

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he can state the approximate number of small investors in the United Kingdom, and the estimated total amount invested by them?

Sir J. Simon

The different kinds of investment open to the small investor are, of course, also open to others, and, in estimating the total number of small investors, it is necessary to remember that the same individual will, in many cases, have taken advantage of more than one form of investment. These considerations make it impossible to give a precise answer to my hon. Friend's Question, but I may say that the latest available figure of the amount invested through the channels normally taken into account for such a calculation is £3,537,000,000.

Mr. Gallacher

Can the Chancellor give us any idea of the amount of the debt that has been accumulated by these same people?