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Scottish Banknotes (Acceptability in United Kingdom) Bill

That is an interesting proposition, but I am conscious of your earlier comments, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Before I took those interventions, I was discussing the issue of changing banknotes. At least people who come to outlets in my constituency to change Scottish notes for the Bank of England equivalents do not have the same experience as Mr. Derek MacLachlan of Inverness, whose attempts to make such an exchange at Newcastle airport are highlighted in the Scottish edition of The Sun of 7 February 2009. In an article headed "Currency swap blast", Mr. MacLachlan tells of how he was faced with a £3 commission charge when he attempted to change £70 at Travelex; the transaction would have left him with just £67 of non-Scottish currency. As he said:""It's bad enough that some shops in England don't take the notes, but now it's being treated like a foreign currency. It's…exactly the same as Bank of England money—it just looks different."" I could not agree more with Mr. MacLachlan's analysis, which goes right to the heart of the issue. The financial value of Scottish notes is not different. Indeed, Scottish banknotes are a key part of what passes for the Government's vision for the banking sector; I acknowledge that, through the Banking Act 2009, the Government have removed any remaining doubts about their future. Whatever the legal framework of our currency or the meaning of the expression "legal tender", there is absolutely no reason why Scots notes should be questioned unless there are substantive grounds for believing that they are forgeries.