Written question asked by David Hamilton (Labour) on Thursday, 25 February 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 1 March 2010. It was answered by Sarah McCarthy-Fry (Labour) on Wednesday, 3 March 2010 on behalf of the Treasury.

Banknotes: Forgery

Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many counterfeit banknotes have been seized in the UK in each of the last two years for which figures are available; and how many purported to have been issued by (a) the Bank of England, (b) Scottish banks and (c) banks in Northern Ireland.

Answer: The Bank of England is responsible for collating statistics on counterfeits of its own banknotes and these are available at:"http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/about/counterfeits.htm"Scottish and Northern Ireland banknote issuers are responsible for collating statistical information on counterfeits of their own banknote issue. The Scottish banks publish their statistics on the Committee of Scottish Clearing banks website available at:"http://www.scotbanks.org.uk/banknote_counterfeit.php"The Northern Irish banknote issuers do not publish statistics on counterfeits of their banknote issue.

Secondary information