§ Mr. Wallerasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether any discussions have taken place with the Government of the Republic of Ireland about the danger of fraud arising out of the fact that, despite their present disparity in value, coins of the United Kingdom and of the Republic are of identical weight and dimensions; and whether any action is proposed to avert the danger of such fraud.
§ Mr. Bruce-GardyneNo formal discussions have taken place with the Government of the Republic of 291W Ireland on this subject. The fraudulent use of such coins in the United Kingdom may to some extent have been increased by the divergence of exchange rates between the pound sterling and the Irish pound which has taken place in recent years. But the problem is not on a sufficient scale to warrant the high cost of any special action which might be taken. We are of course keeping the form of our own coinage relative to that of other countries, including the Republic of Ireland, constantly under review.