(2) what guidance his Department and its agencies provide to consumers on how to identify whether a £1 pound coin is genuine or counterfeit;
(3) how many counterfeit £1 pound coins were removed from circulation in each of the last five years.
The Royal Mint includes information on ways that a counterfeit £1 coin might be identified on the ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ section of its website
www.royalmint.gov.uk/.
The following counterfeit £1 coins have been returned to the Royal Mint:
Number 2003-04 85,500 2004-05 117,500 2005-06 84,500 2006-07 153,800 2007-08 97,000
The Royal Mint does not hold central data regarding the number of prosecutions brought against forgers of £1 pound coins.
The Metropolitan Police and the Serious Organised Crime Agency closed down an illicit Mint producing counterfeit £1 coins in December 2007. This resulted in a conviction and a sentence of five years imprisonment.