§ Mr. SWIFT MacNEILLasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether any steps have been taken to ascertain the amount of deposits unclaimed for a period of thirty years and upwards in the various banks of the United Kingdom and of the dividends thereon; whether an approximation of this sum can be given to the public; and whether the Government has considered the advisability of legislation for the utilising of the vast wealth thus unclaimed for public purposes, due regard being had to the preservation of the rights of the owners, if any, to payment?
§ Mr. McKENNAThe question raised has been frequently considered by successive Chancellors of the Exchequer, and the conclusion reached has uniformly been that steps could not usefully be taken in the direction suggested. While no complete or accurate estimate is available, all inquiries which have been made have indicated very clearly that the popular idea of the amounts involved is very much exaggerated.