§ Mr. Sharpasked the Postmaster-General to what extent frauds on the Post Office Savings Bank have declined during 1948.
§ Mr. Wilfred PalingThere has been a considerable improvement in the position since the high level of fraud in 1946 and 1947. A comparison of the figures for the first nine months of 1948 with those for the corresponding period of 1947 shows a reduction of 11 per cent. in the number of offenders and of 37 per cent. in the amount of the loss to public funds.
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§ Mr. Sharpasked the Postmaster General what average time now elapses between the handing-over to the Post Office for checking purposes of a Post Office Savings Account Book and its return to the depositor; and whether this is less than the time taken in 1947.
§ Mr. Wilfred PalingA bank book retained at a post office for checking purposes is normally posted back to the depositor within two or three days of its receipt at Savings Bank headquarters. When allowance is made for transit, a book should not be out of the depositor's possession for more than four or five days. It is the practice of the Savings Bank to advise a depositor in the comparatively few cases in which it is necessary to retain a book for a longer period. For a short period in 1947 the number of books received was beyond the capacity of the staff available to examine and return quickly, and there was some delay in dealing with them.