§ Mr. Frank FieldTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he has as to the number of shareholders in each of the last 20 years.
§ Mr. Norman Lamont[holding answer 20 June 1988]: Surveys carried out by NOP on behalf of the Treasury and stock exchange estimate that 9 million adults owned shares in 1988 and 8½ million adults owned shares in 1987. Figures for earlier years are not available on exactly the same basis, but I understand that surveys carried out by Target Group Index, using a wider definition than the NOP survey, estimated ownership of stocks and shares for 1974 onwards as follows:
Year Million adults 1974 2.2 1975 2.7 1976 2.9 1977 2.7 1978 3.2 1979 3.0 1980 2.9 1981 3.1 1982 2.7 1983 2.5 1984 2.5 1985 4.4 1986 5.3 I have no comparable information for the years before 1974.