Banking: Lloyds and RBS Shares Debate

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Department: HM Treasury

Banking: Lloyds and RBS Shares

Lord Lawson of Blaby Excerpts
Thursday 30th June 2011

(13 years, 4 months ago)

Lords Chamber
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Lord Sassoon Portrait Lord Sassoon
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My Lords, what I said is that we are considering all options for the disposal of the shares in RBS and Lloyds Banking Group. My right honourable friend the Deputy Prime Minister has asked the Treasury to consider a particular disposal option, and that is what UKFI and the Treasury are doing.

Lord Lawson of Blaby Portrait Lord Lawson of Blaby
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Will my noble friend tell the Treasury that there is no need to consider this tired old suggestion for long? It was fully considered in 1979 when we embarked on the original privatisation programme and I am sure that his officials will be very pleased to give him all the old papers showing that it bristles with practical difficulties, not least the precise method of allocation, quite apart from the point made by the noble Lord, Lord Barnett. Will my noble friend also bear in mind the wise words of that great radical, Thomas Paine:

“What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly”.