§ Mr. Owenasked the Postmaster-General what is the total amount of unclaimed Premium Bond winnings to the 194W nearest convenient date; what steps are taken to inform bond holders of their winnings; and what consideration he has given to the need for changing this system, in view of these unclaimed winnings.
§ Mr. MarplesOut of nearly £9 million prizes awarded up to the end of 1958, only £6,950 were unclaimed at 30th January. Most of these had been drawn in the last three months. Each bondholder is notified by post when his number is drawn and invited to claim the prize. Notifications returned as undeliverable are pursued at once through the Head Postmaster. If a claim is not returned a reminder is sent after three weeks. If this produces no response the Head Postmaster makes inquiries locally. I see no need to reconsider the system.