HL Deb 23 November 1967 vol 286 cc1135-7

3.6 p.m.

EARL FORTESCUE

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the first Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

[The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they can give an assurance that not more than one or two issues of large-sized pictorial stamps will be authorised each year; and whether they appreciate how very much more popular is the present small-sized plain issue.]

LORD SORENSEN

My Lords, the policy of my right honourable friend is to bring out about four or five special issues a year. He has plenty of evidence that they are popular, but naturally he is glad to hear that the smaller, definitive stamps are also well liked. These are always available at all Post Offices, even when pictorial issues are also on sale.

EARL FORTESCUE

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord for his reply. Would it be possible for all the fourpenny stamps, of whatever design, to be the same colour, and, more particularly, for the threepenny stamps always to be the same colour?

LORD SORENSEN

I will certainly pass on that question to the Postmaster General, but I personally see no reason why there should not be diversity and variety in colour, as in life itself.

BARONESS HORSBRUGH

My Lords, can the noble Lord say whether there will always be available at Post Offices the small stamp and not the fancy stamp? Some people prefer the small stamps but cannot obtain them.

LORD SORENSEN

My Lords, I have already assured the House that this is so. I do not personally know of any case, and possibly the Postmaster General does not know of one either, where customers have been able to purchase only the larger stamps. I am quite certain that the small stamps are always available.

BARONESS HORSBRUGH

My Lords, may I assure the noble Lord that they are certainly not always available?

LORD SORENSEN

I will certainly pass on that information to the Postmaster General.

LORD BUCKTON

My Lords, may I ask the noble Lord why the printer is allowed to advertise on these stamps and whether the Government receive any revenue for that advertisement?

LORD SORENSEN

I will certainly put that question to the Postmaster General. I should imagine that some revenue is received, but I cannot be certain. I will make inquiries and will let the noble Lord know.

LORD SOMERS

My Lords, will the noble Lord tell me whether he has had the experience that I have had, of writing an address on an ordinary sized envelope and then putting on the stamp and finding that it covered half the address?

LORD FARINGDON

My Lords, can my noble friend tell me on what principle the subjects for these stamps are chosen, and whether it would not be more appropriate that specimens of the works of British artists should be used for our stamps rather than those of foreign artists?

LORD SORENSEN

My Lords, may I assure the noble Lord that in fact these stamps are very popular, especially in philatelic circles. They are printed by the 100 million. Quite apart from the larger size of these stamps, they have an aesthetic quality. I will look into the suggestion, but I can inform the House that something like 55 different issues of these particular stamps have been made since 1924, and it is estimated that this year there will be six, or possibly seven, different issues. Whether the designs should always be by British artists, I do not know. Sometimes it is difficult to determine whether an artist is British or not.

LORD HANKEY

My Lords, will the noble Lord represent to the Government our strong preference for this year's stamp rather than the abortion of a stamp which was issued last year?

LORD SORENSEN

My Lords, that is a matter of taste, but I will pass the idea on to my right honourable friend.

EARL FORTESCUE

My Lords, may I ask one final question? Is not the popularity of the large stamps almost entirely confined to the stamp dealers?

LORD SORENSEN

My Lords, if that is the case there is still a financial advantage to this country, because they are issued by the 100 million. Quite a number of people are attracted by the historical and esthetic significance of the stamps.

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