2. Mr. Gresham Cookeasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in view of the possibility of the United Kingdom entering the Common Market, what is now the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards decimal coinage.
§ Mr. Selwyn LloydI would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Taunton (Mr. du Cann) on 14th November.
Mr. Gresham CookeIf my right hon. and learned Friend is going to make a statement in the future, may I suggest to him that he might be encouraged by the fact that the business community now seems to be coming round in favour of decimal coinage. The expenditure on new instruments, adding machines and computers would appear to be justified by the savings that would accrue to industry. Therefore, if we are going into the Common Market it would be a step which industry generally would welcome.