§ 27. Mr. Liptonasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why the Royal Mint struck 100 million halfpennies last year although they will be demonetised in August, 1969.
§ Mr. Harold LeverHalfpennies were minted and issued in 1967 to meet a continuing demand from the public.
§ Mr. LiptonAs it costs more than a penny to mint a halfpenny, is not this policy of halfpenny foolish, pound foolish quite ridiculous? What are we to do with these millions of halfpennies when they go out of circulation, as they will in the not-too-distant future?
§ Mr. LiptonNobody wants them.
§ Mr. LeverMy hon. Friends says that nobody wants them, but they were issued precisely because there was considerable public demand for them, and they were released against that public demand. The loss per halfpenny is not great and amounts to no significant sum compared with the public convenience involved.