§ Mr. Michael Brownasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated effect on the money supply caused by credit cards at the present time in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. LawsonI regret that, on grounds of commercial confidentiality, information on credit card use is not published. Moreover, even if this hurdle were overcome, it would not be evident how much of total lending by credit card companies was in substitution for other forms of credit and how much represented a net addition to the money supply.