§ 33. Mr. Shepherdasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what further criticisms he has received in respect of the design of the new £5 note; and what steps he now intends to take in this matter.
§ Mr. PowellNone, Sir.
§ Mr. ShepherdIs my hon. Friend really satisfied with this note, which looks like a cross between stage money and the £1 Scottish bank note, and will he really do something to ensure that these designs are submitted to the Council of Industrial Design before they are launched on an unsuspecting public?
§ Mr. PowellThe design was considered very carefully before it was introduced, and the bulk of the information reaching my right hon. Friend is that the new note is proving popular.
§ Mr. SteeleIs the Financial Secretary aware that the staffs in shops and other places in Scotland are very much concerned about this £5 note, because it is so like the Scottish £1 note that there 582 is great danger of giving one away in change for another £5 note?
§ Mr. BowlesIs the Financial Secretary aware that it has been reported in the Press during the last week that a bank in Ireland paid out £1,000 instead of £200 because it had mistakenly used £5 notes instead of £1 notes?