§ Sir J. Edenasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the technical machinery for drawing prizes for premium bonds has been changed since the inception of the scheme; and whether, under present circumstances, every individual bond has an equal chance of winning one of the available prizes at each monthly draw.
§ Mr. Denzil DaviesThe Electronic Random Number Indicator Equipment (ERNIE) used to generate prize-winning premium savings bond numbers since the scheme was introduced in 1956 was replaced in January 1973 because the original equipment was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain. With the new machinery, as with the original equipment, every individual bond eligible for inclusion in the draw has an equal chance of winning a prize.