§ Ms LawrenceTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans the Bank of England has to carry out further euro note printing trials. [83464]
§ Ms HewittHaving completed the pre-production trialing of the Euro notes due to be introduced in 2002, the European Central Bank has asked the Bank of England to assist with the next stage of technical preparations. This is to produce sample banknotes for each denomination to be used for reference purposes by those countries participating in production later this year. The bank will be involved in printing a further 1.5 million Euro 500 notes, which is equivalent to less than one day's normal production of Sterling notes. The cost of some £60,000 will be paid out of the proceeds of the note issue.