§ Mr. HANCOCKasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will give the number of depositors, and the total amount due to them, in the Post Office Savings Bank on 31st December, for each of the last three years for which Returns are available?
§ Mr. BALDWINThe figures for the last four years are as follow:—
Year ended 31st December. Number of Accounts. Balance due to Depositors. £ 1919 13,203,045 266,348,366 1920 13,383,151 266,508,032 1921 11,411,676* 264,156,529 1922 11,750,000* 268,000,000 *The smaller number of accounts for 1921 is due to the transfer from the current ledgers to a special ledger, for purposes of economy in account keeping, of some 2,200,000 accounts, with balances averaging about is. 9d. each and in no instance more than a few shillings, in which no transaction had taken place for more than five years. The figures for 1922 are approximate only.
§ Mr. SAKLATVALAasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the totals of deposits in the Post Office Savings Bank on 1st January, 1922, and on 1st January, 1923; the total withdrawals from 1st January, 1922 to 31st March, 1922, and the total withdrawals from 1st January, 1923, to 31st March, 1923; the total deposits from 1st January, 1922, to 31st March, 1922, and the total deposits from 1st January, 1923, to 31st March, 1923; the highest figure, with date of deposit, from 31st March, 1922, to 1st January, 1923; the amount deposited to new accounts by new depositors, 1st January, 1923, to 31st March, 1923; and the amount 2316W deposited to existing accounts by existing depositors from 1st January, 1923, to 31st March, 1923?
§ Mr. BALDWINThe figures are as follow:
£ (1) Balance due to depositors, 1st January, 1922 264,156,529 Balance due to depositors, 1st January, 1923 (approximate) 268,000,000 (2) Total withdrawals from 1st January, 1922, to 31st March, 1922 25,472,000* Total withdrawals from 1st January, 1923, to 31st March, 1923 21,599,000 (3) Total deposits from 1st January, 1922, to 31st March, 1922 21,413,000 Total deposits from 1st January, 1923, to first March, 1923 22,919,000 * £3,000,000 of this amount due to withdrawals to buy Savings Certificates before price went up to 16s. on 1st April, 1922.