§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what study his Department has made of the growth of use of coin machines, including those which give change, requiring a 50p piece and the impact of this on the need for the production of much larger quantities of this coin.
§ Mr. Bruce-Gardyne:The Royal Mint maintains contact with major coin users, including operators of coin machines. There is no evidence that the growth in demand for 50p pieces is mainly due to the introduction of new coin machines. The Banks have not reported a shortage of 50p coins.