HL Deb 15 December 1980 vol 415 cc969-70WA
Lord Young of Dartington

asked Her Majesty's Government:

  1. (i) on how many occasions since 1970 have members of building societies had access to the register of members of their society and what building societies were involved in each case;
  2. (ii) on how many occasions since 1970 has access to the register of shareholders of building societies been granted as a result of a direction from the Registrar of Friendly Societies, for what purposes, and to which societies; and
  3. (iii) whether they will provide a full statement of their present policy on the operation of Section 63 of the Building Societies Act 1962.

The Minister of State, Treasury (Lord Cockfield)

(i) In circumstances described in Section 63(1) of the Building Societies Act a member of a building society has a right of access to the register of members of his society without the need to apply to the Chief Registrar. The number of occasions on which that right has been exercised is not known. So far as can be traced there have been three occasions since 1970 when members have had access to the register of members of their societies under the procedure referred to in Section 63(2) of the Act. The societies involved were (a) Bournemouth and Christchurch Building Society, (b) Anglia Hastings and Thanet Building Society and (c) Bexhill-on Sea Building Society.

(ii) So far as can be traced, three applications to inspect registers of members of building societies have been made to the Chief Registrar since 1970, and all were granted. The three societies involved are mentioned above; the respective purposes for which access was granted were in order that the applicants might communicate with members about (a) a proposed transfer of the society's engagements to another society (b) the candidature of the member concerned for election as a director and (c) the composition of the society's board of directors and the society's rules relating to the board.

(iii) Section 63 of the Building Societies Act 1962 appears to the Government to operate satisfactorily.