§ 21. Mr. Stodartasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will initiate discussions with a view to introducing legislation to ensure that different denominations of bank notes shall be of a distinctive size, and that all the issuing banks concerned shall issue notes of agreed sizes.
§ The Economic Secretary to the Treasury (Mr. Anthony Barber)No, Sir, but I understand that the bank notes in the new series will be different in size, not only from each other, but also from the three current notes and from the Scottish notes.
§ Mr. StodartIn Scotland there are five joint stock banks which issue bank notes which, although different in design, are of the same size. Hitherto their £1 notes have been the same size as the Bank of England £1 note. Will not this difference in the Bank of England note make it extremely difficult for those who 549 are blind to differentiate between the notes and cause a great nuisance for those in the banks who have to sort and count the notes?
§ Mr. BarberAs I think my hon. Friend knows, the Treasury is not responsible for the size, design or production of notes, but I will certainly bear in mind what he says.