§ LORD COLYTONMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the second Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
[The Question was as follows:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which countries of Western Europe or North America issue bank notes of a denomination of the equivalent of 50 pence or less.]
THE LORD PRIVY SEAL (EARL JELLICOE)My Lords, the following countries of Western Europe and North America issue bank notes of a denomination equivalent to 50 new pence or less: Austria; Belgium and Luxembourg; Finland; France; Holland; Italy; Portugal; Sweden; Turkey; Canada and the United States of America. Of these, all except Austria and Holland also issue a coin of the same denomination or denominations. Notes of a value of less than 50p are circulating in Norway (5 kroner notes) and Spain (50 peseta notes) but no more are to be issued there. Like the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Denmark, the Federal Republic of Germany, Greece and Switzerland have no note of a value of 50 new pence or less.
§ LORD COLYTONMy Lords, while thanking my noble friend for his very full reply, may I ask him whether he is 943 aware that many people in this country much regret the disappearance of the old ten shilling note, partly because of the confusion arising out of the similarity of the new 50p piece with the new 10p piece? I believe it is a constant source of confusion to many people, including taxi drivers. The Taxi Drivers' Association support me in this Question. Do not the facts that my noble friend has given, and the facts which I have tried to give, indicate that there is a real need for the reintroduction of a note of 50p in this country?
EARL JELLICOEMy Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord for thanking me for my long and considered reply. I may be in a minority, but I should like to answer in a rather personal vein. I was one of those who regretted originally the demise of the 10-shilling note, and did not like the 50p piece. I must confess that I have now become completely used to the absence of a 10-shilling note, and also am becoming very much acclimatised —I suppose it is my conservative nature —to the 50p coin. I do not know whether this is the general view; all I can say is that there have been very few complaints of late about the coin, although there was a great volume when it was introduced. In addition—and this is perhaps the more serious point—to go back now to the 10-shilling note, or a combination of the two, would mean that we should lose all the advantages of the economies which we have gained from the introduction of the coin. Also, I think it would be gravely inconvenient to a great many people, such as banks, shops, and transport undertakings, who are now used to handling the coin.
§ LORD AIREDALEMy Lords, is the Government's original reply true not only of Western Europe and North America, but also of the principal countries of the Commonwealth, South Africa, Russia, China, Japan and many other countries? Might it not be wise to allow a 50p note to circulate alongside the 50p coin, so that the British people could use the coin and the note in whatever ratio they found convenient to themselves?
EARL JELLICOEMy Lords, I do not quite know what the noble Lord meant by my " original reply ". The United Kingdom is not alone here. In 944 my original reply I said that our practice was shared by the Republic of Ireland, Denmark, the Federal Republic of Germany, Norway, Spain and Switzerland, which is quite a respectable and sensible list.
§ LORD PLATTMy Lords, does Her Majesty's Government remember that when almost exactly the same Question was asked some time ago—how long ago I cannot say, but within the last 12 months—there seemed to be a similar consensus of opinion that the majority agreed that they were glad to get rid of those filthy 10-shilling notes?
EARL JELLICOEMy Lords, I am not quite certain that we can test the majority of the 50 million inhabitants of this country by the reactions of a few noble Lords to supplementary questions, but I take note of what the noble Lord has said.
§ THE EARL OF DUNDEEMy Lords, would not a 50p coin be a little more acceptable if it were slightly larger, so that it could be distinguished from a 10p coin without rubbing your fingers round it in the dark?
EARL JELLICOEMy Lords, that was again my original impression of this particular coin, but I have found that I have got used to it as, I suspect, have the great majority of our fellow citizens.