HC Deb 03 July 1969 vol 786 cc628-9
13. Mr. Gwilym Roberts

asked the Postmaster-General if he will make a statement on the methods now used to inform winners at all levels of Premium Bond wins and to ensure prizes are claimed; what protection is given to £25,000 winners to protect them from undesirable publicity; and if he will take steps to improve the publicity for big prize-winners without identifying individuals, on a similar basis to that used by the pools for their X non-publicity winners.

Mr. Joseph Slater

We write to all winners. In addition to Press publicity, we exhibit in all the larger post offices the winning numbers and a list of prizes unclaimed for 18 months or longer.

We take special precautions to keep secret the identity of all prize-winners. Valuable Press and broadcast publicity is obtained by releasing with the £25,000 winning number the name of the county or large town in which the winner lives. We could not widen this information without risk of identifying the winners.

Mr. Roberts

Does my hon. Friend not agree that some further follow-up is required to find winners'? Could he tell the House how many winners have not been found and what is the sum of money involved? Does he not feel that some information about the sex, characteristics, and occupation of the winner might help to provide useful publicity and increase the volume of bonds bought?

Mr. Slater

As to the first part of that question, out of a total of 5,285,858 prizes only 5,157, amounting to £148,075, remain unclaimed, but the work of tracing these goes on. As to partly identifying the winner by sex or trade, in my view this would increase the risk of the winner being fully identified, particularly in thinly-populated counties.

Sir J. Langford-Holt

Can the hon. Gentleman say how long these unclaimed prizes are retained to the credit of the winners—indefinitely?

Mr. Slater

The amount of money I have given to the House as being unclaimed is there and can still be claimed if people produce evidence.