§ Mr. Cartwrightasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the Public Expenditure Survey Committee Government Accounting Sub-Committee of 27 October 1975 on the use made by Departments of National Giro services; and whether he will bring up to date the information assembled for the report.
§ Mr. LawsonI am arranging for a copy of this report to be placed in the Library. The Treasury has no reason to suppose that updating the report would be cost-effective.
§ Mr. Cartwrightasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the working party investigating the possibility of a merger between the National Savings Bank and National Giro has completed its work; whether he has received its report; if he will place a copy in the Library; and what conclusions he has reached on the matter.
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§ Mr. LawsonI understand the previous Administration studied in some detail the possibility of merging the National Savings Bank and the National Girobank. The merger proposed did not form part of the policies on which this Government were elected and it is not therefore an issue we have considered in any depth.