§ 77. Mr. David ShawTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the adult population owns shares(a) directly and (b) as members of pension schemes and life assurance schemes.
§ Mr. LilleyTwenty per cent. of the adult population owned shares directly at the beginning of the year. Subsequently the Abbey National flotation will have led to a large number of people becoming shareholders for the first time.
Surveys suggest that around 60 per cent. of the adult population have some form of life assurance policy, 35 per cent. are members of company pension schemes and 13 per cent. have personal pensions.