§ 57. Mr. Hector Hughesasked the Postmaster-General if he will state how many persons have held, and now hold, Premium Bonds since they were started; how many persons have won prizes of each value once, and more than once, repectively; and how many holders of Premium Bonds since they began have never won any prize.
§ Mr. StonehouseI regret that the answers to these questions could not be obtained without a disproportionate expenditure of time and effort.
§ Mr. Hector Hughesasked the Postmaster-General what expert scientific advice he sought and acted on when installing the computers which at present operate the Premium Bonds system; and how many, and which types, of computers he experimented with before and during the operation of the present system.
§ Mr. StonehouseComputer processing for Premium Savings Bond work is confined to a number of routine operations which follow the generation of prize-winning numbers. ERNIE (Electronic Random Number Indicator Equipment), which produces these numbers, was designed by the Post Office Research Department, on principles that have been fully explained to the Royal Statistical Society. ERNIE's output is regularly tested to ensure that it is free from statistical bias.
§ Mr. Hector Hughesasked the Postmaster-General if he will set up a public and expert commission into the working of the Premium Bonds machinery to examine the extent to which that machinery operates fairly to the holders of Premium 114W Bonds in bulk and singly, respectively.
§ Mr. StonehouseNo.