§ 54. Mr. R. S. Hudsonasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that although the coin trade were 159W given to understand that an adequate supply of Festival year coinage sets were to be issued, the supply is unequal to the demand, so that the sets are unobtainable at the South Bank Exhibition, coin dealers are obliged to turn away orders and a source of profit to the Treasury is lost; and whether he will ensure that in future there is better advance planning of similar profitable issues by the Royal Mint.
§ Mr. GaitskellNo undertaking was given about the number of specimen sets of 1951 coins to be issued. Limited quantities are on sale at the South Bank Exhibition on Saturday afternoons and on one other day each week, but no further orders are being accepted from coin dealers. This is because the Royal Mint, after performing its primary function of supplying ordinary coinage to this and to many overseas countries, gives priority to the Festival Crown pieces, of which more have been issued in the past three months than of any previous Crown piece in any year in this century. The minting of specimen sets can be undertaken only to the extent that surplus capacity exists at the time.