§ Mr. Pounderasked the Postmaster-General what were the local sums of money invested in Premium Bonds in Northern Ireland during 1966; what was the value of prizes for that year; what were the value of the prizes expressed as a percentage of the sums invested; and if he will give the comparable figures for England and Wales, and for Scotland, respectively, for that year.
§ Mr. Joseph SlaterMy right hon. Friend regrets that it is not possible to260W compare the value of prizes won in a particular region with the sum remaining invested in that region, as separate regional figures of repayments are not available. Moreover the regional analysis of £25 prizes was discontinued after September 1966 because of the considerable work involved and its limited publicity value.
The following figures compare the value of bonds purchased in each region with the prizes won in that region for the period January to September 1966:—
261W
Value of purchases Cumulative value of purchases Value of prizes Value of prizes as a percentage of cumulative purchases £ £ £ Per cent. Northern Ireland … … 621,306 6,243,538 154,900 2.48 England and Wales … … 65,275,265 774,853,989 16,623,625 2.14 Scotland … … 3,370,199 40,518,365 871,600 2.15