§ Mr. Stuart Hollandasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many building societies were operating in 1983 and 1984; what were the average numbers of members or share accounts per building society in each year; and what was the average number of members or share accounts for (a) the top five and (b) the next 12 building societies in each year.
§ Mr. Ian StewartThe following table shows the numbers of registered building societies at 31 December 1983 and 1984, together with the numbers which were authorised to accept shares and deposits under the Building Societies (Authorisation) Regulations 1981. It also shows the average numbers of investing shareholders for the year 1983; figures for 1984 are not yet available.
End 1983 End 1984 Number of Building Societies: Registered 206 190 Authorised to accept shares and deposits 192 170 Average numbers of Investing 000s Shareholders per society: Largest 5 societies 4,485 N/A Next 12 societies 845 N/A All registered building societies 183 N/A N/A = Not yet available