§ 2.42 p.m.
§ LORD FRASER OF LONSDALEMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any further statement to make regarding the decimalisation of the currency.]
§ THE MINISTER OF STATE, BOARD OF TRADE (LORD DERWENT)No, my Lords, the Committee, under the chairmanship of Lord Halsbury, continues to consider this question. I hope that its Report will be available early in 1963.
§ LORD FRASER OF LONSDALEMy Lords, while thanking my noble friend for that relatively satisfactory answer, may I ask whether the Report will be followed by a White Paper and whether it is hoped that it will be in hand soon enough, should it be desirable, to proceed with legislation this coming year?
§ LORD DERWENTMy Lords, as far as I know, the question about a White Paper has not yet been settled because the Report is not yet complete and, of course, I do not know how soon legislation will come forward. It may be slightly delayed after publication of the Report, because it is the intention of the Committee that a summary of the evidence taken should be included in 274 their Report and there will probably be a good deal of reading to be done before legislation, if any, is brought in.