Clearing Banks

HC Deb 19 May 1992 vol 208 cc77-8W

Mr. Caborn

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many branches of clearing banks there are in the United Kingdom(a) at present and (b) in 1972, 1977, 1982 and 1987.

Mr. Nelson

[holding answer 15 May 1992]: The latest figures available are for the end of 1991, at which time there were 13,035 branches of clearing banks in the United Kingdom. The figures for the previous years are:

	Number
End 1972	13,414
End 1977	13,179
End 1982	15,333
End 1987	14,480

The banks included in these figures are: Natwest, Lloyds, Midland, Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland, Bank of Scotland and Clydesdale—all years—and Yorkshire, TSB, Co-op and Abbey National, from 1982 onwards.