§ Mr. Roebuckasked the Minister of Public Building and Works why he decided to strike only 1,500 2¼-inch silver and 3,000 2¼-inch gilt-bronze Prince of Wales Investiture medals.
§ Mr. MellishThe decision to strike 1,500 2¼-inch silver and 3,000 2¼-inch gilt-bronze Investiture medals was taken following consultations with Spink and Son Limited (medallists to the Queen), which is my commercial adviser in this matter. It based its estimate on such issues as it has handled in recent years.
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§ Mr. Roebuckasked the Minister of Public Building and Works on what date the public were invited to apply for the 1,500 2¼-inch silver and 3,000 2¼-inch gilt-bronze Prince of Wales Investiture medals; and how many applications were received.
§ Mr. MellishA Press notice about Investiture medals was issued on 6th February and the announcement received nation-wide publicity on 7th February and on subsequent days. Although the Press notice said the medals would only be available from June, orders began to be received at once and it was decided to accept them. At the last count over 6,100 applications had been received for the 2¼-inch silver medals and just over 3,000 applications for the 2¼-inch gilt-bronze medals.
§ Mr. Roebuckasked the Minister of Public Building and Works whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table showing the cost of striking each type of Prince of Wales Investiture medal, the prices charged to Spink and Son Limited, the prices charged by Spink and Son Limited to other retailers, and the retail prices.
§ Mr. MellishNo, this is a matter of commercial confidence.