§ Mr. Wheelerasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the 1984 Royal Mint proof sets will contain a 1984 dated half-penny piece; and whether such coins will be issued for currency purposes.
§ Mr. Ian StewartThe 1984 Royal Mint proof and uncirculated sets already on sale contain 1984 dated half-penny pieces. It was announced in Parliament on 1 February 1984 that half-penny coins will continue to be issued from the Royal Mint for circulation purposes until 29 March 1984 and there are half-penny coins dated 1983 still in stock. It now seems unlikely that it will be necessary to mint any further quantities of this coin for circulation purposes.