§ Mrs. LawrenceTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to issue new commemorative coins in 2001. [123247]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonHer Majesty the Queen has been graciously pleased to approve the Chancellor of the Exchequer's recommendation that in 2001
a crown piece should be issued to mark the centenary of the death of Her Majesty Queen Victoria and the end of the Victorian era; anda special design should be adopted for the reverse of the two-pound coin to commemorate the centenary of Marconi's first long distance wireless transmission from Cornwall to Newfoundland.Collector versions of the two coins will be available from the beginning of the year and the coins will also be available, later in the year, at face value from most banks and post offices.