§ Mr. Chris SmithTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for each year that PEPs have been in operation what is(a) the number of people with PEPs, (b) the average holding per person in a PEP and the distribution of holdings and (c) the distribution of PEP holdings by region.
§ Mr. LilleyInformation is not available in the form requested. The number of plans taken out since the introduction of personal equity plans is estimated as follows:—
Year Total 1987 270,000 1988 120,000 1989 300,000 Total 690,000 The average value of the investment in each plan is as follows.
Year £ 1987 1,650 1988 1,800 An estimate for 1989 is not available yet and there is no information available on the distribution of the level of investments or the regional distribution of investors.
§ Mr. Chris SmithTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what evidence he has on whether the existence of PEPs has increased(a) personal shareholdings and (b) savings.
§ Mr. LilleyPersonal equity plans offer a simple and cheap way of owning shares and have been very successful in shares and encouraging the spread of share ownership.
§ Mr. Chris SmithTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the distribution of personal equity plan holdings by income in each year of the scheme's existence.
§ Mr. LilleyI regret that the information is not available.
§ Mr. Chris SmithTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the proportion of(a) non-United Kingdom shares and (b) shares in privatised companies held on average in each PEP and their distribution.
§ Mr. LilleyI regret that the information is not available. Non-United Kingdom shares may not be held directly in a PEP.
§ Mr. Chris SmithTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of PEP savings he estimates are diverted from other forms of savings, and what information he has as to what these other savings are.
§ Mr. LilleyI regret that the information requested is not available.