§ 3.5 p.m.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, seeing that there are to be issued in due course new 3d., 6d. and 1s. 3d. stamps with special designs for Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, and new 3d. stamps for Jersey and Guernsey and the Isle of Man, they will consider the advisability of issuing for England small pictorial stamps of low values bearing the Sovereign's head, in order to portray to the world in extensive fashion some of the scenic beauties and historical monuments of that country, and to assist the British Travel and Holidays Association in attracting tourists to it.]
§ LORD CHESHAMMy Lords, my right honourable friend the Postmaster-General has already considered this matter. His conclusion is that, for the reasons which I explained to the noble Lord on July 24. 1956, he cannot accept the proposal for low-value pictorial stamps.
VISCOUNT ELIBANKMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord for that Answer, but is he aware that there is continuing support for these small pictorial stamps from the tourist bodies in this country as a means of attracting tourists and adding to the revenue, and also from large sections of the community? May I ask the noble Lord whether he will kindly convey to the Postmaster-General an expression of my hope that the right honourable gentleman will change his mind and issue one of my trial designs, such as the Houses of Parliament, in order to test 706 public reaction, which many people think will be of a favourable nature?
§ EARL HOWEMy Lords, before the noble Lord replies on that point, may I ask whether he has looked at the latest French stamps, many of which are most attractive and which have adopted exactly the idea put forward so often in this House by the noble Viscount?
§ LORD CHESHAMMy Lords, we have been over this ground on several occasions before and I do not want to weary your Lordships by repetition. I do not think any factor can be said to have changed since the past occasions on which we have had the pleasure of considering this matter. All I can say to the noble Viscount is that I will certainly convey his hope to my right honourable friend. In reply to the question of the noble Earl, Lord Howe, I have not myself seen the stamps and therefore cannot comment on them, except to say that the only ones I have seen (I realise that may be getting hold of the wrong end of the stick, from the noble Earl's point of view) have been larger stamps than ours; and, as your Lordships know, that is one of the main objections.
§ VISCOUNT STANSGATEMy Lords, could we have stamps that celebrate events of historical importance? For example, would the noble Lord consider the issue of a Rochdale stamp?
§ LORD CHESHAMYes, my Lords, of course I will consider that: it will take the form of a television screen, with a tasteful background of aerials.
§ LORD MATHERSMy Lords, in view of the mention in the Question of a number of different areas that are to have special stamps, how does it come about that in the original decision about these issues, good old England was left out?
§ LORD TEVIOTMy Lords, may I say a word about the question of the noble Viscount, Lord Stansgate? I do not know why it should cause noble Lords opposite to laugh so much, because, actually speaking, there is over a 5,000 majority in the anti-Socialist vote in Rochdale.
§ LORD CHESHAMMy Lords, I hope I understood the noble Lord, Lord Mathers, correctly, but there were two words that I did not hear. I understood him to ask why England was originally left out. Is that correct?
§ LORD MATHERSYes.
§ LORD CHESHAMThe answer is that the existing design of the current stamps, which embodies the rose, the thistle, the daffodil and the shamrock, is considered to be sufficiently representative of the unity under the Crown that England enjoys, with the rest of the countries represented.