§ Mr. Mikardoasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the present rate of expenditure on the import of coinage blanks.
§ Mr. Patrick JenkinExpenditure in the current financial year will be about £300,000 on coinage blanks in connection with four overseas orders. Of this sum, about £250,000 is for nickel-clad steel blanks for which no capacity exists in Britain.
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§ Mr. Mikardoasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why coinage blanks are being imported, in view of the capacity to manufacture them in this country.
§ Mr. Patrick JenkinThe bulk of the 1970–71 expenditure will be on blanks which cannot be manufactured in this country. The remaining blanks have been bought abroad because they were cheaper.