Mr. J. Enoch Powellasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why National Savings certificates are no longer after this week to be able to be purchased through banks in Northern Ireland.
§ Mr. LawsonBanks in Northern Ireland are still able to arrange for their customers to buy National Savings certificates. All that has changed is that the Department for National Savings is introducing a new system of issuing National Savings certificates directly from their Durham office by post to savers throughout the United Kingdom. This means that agent banks will no longer hold stocks of certificates. Under the new system Northern Ireland banks will no longer have to arrange for their branches or associate branches in Great Britain to send National Savings certificates to their customers in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland banks can obtain application forms either from their associates in Great Britain, or from the Department for National Savings office in Durham, from where the certificates will be sent directly to customers.