Dormant Bank and Building Society Accounts Bill [HL]

I remember at Second Reading the noble Lord saying that a relative of his had left him 15 shillings, or 60p. If the noble Lord talks about historical records in those terms, I will have difficulty in responding to him. He will recognise that what is being transferred into this scheme are accounts that have been extant but have not been active over the past 15 years. If he is asking whether banks are going back into their historical records since their foundation, I think that that would be a somewhat unreasonable request. The banks are addressing themselves to those accounts that are extant with them and which have not been activated over the past 15 years. Those resources are going into the scheme. I shall have to write to the noble Lord about how far banks are going to go back into their historical records on claims, but it is obvious that if there is a claim on a bank, it can always be sustained as long as the law will establish that. Nineteenth century money is as eligible for the scheme as 20th or, in 15 years’ time, 21st century money. As the noble Lord is not acting as the claimant but on behalf of the potential recipients, I can give him the positive answer that the scheme will benefit from all such resources. On Question, amendment agreed to.