Outsourcing Contract

De La Rue PLC
17 December 2002



                              DE LA RUE PLC



                        SALE BY BANK OF ENGLAND OF

                       BANKNOTE PRINTING OPERATIONS



De La Rue announces that it has been selected by the Bank of England to be its
preferred banknote printing supplier.  This follows an announcement by the Bank
today that it has decided to contract out its banknote printing operations at
Debden, Essex, to a commercial company.  This will enable the Bank to lower the
costs of the supply of its banknotes, while for staff it opens up the
possibility of bringing in more work to Debden.



Detailed negotiations will now take place and definitive contracts are expected
to be signed in the spring of 2003, subject to any regulatory approvals which
may be required by the UK competition authorities.



Further details will be released upon the signing of a definitive agreement.



De La Rue will continue to operate its existing banknote printing factory in the
UK in Gateshead as a separate facility, focused, as now, on specialist short-run
export work.



                                     -ends-



For further information please contact:



David Finnett        Group Financial Controller        [phone]

Mark Fearon          Head of Corporate Affairs         [phone]

Stephen Breslin Brunswick                              [phone]

Bank of England Press Office                           [phone]



17 December 2002



Notes to Editors:



 1. The Bank of England has announced today that its preferred option for the
    future of its banknote printing operations is to sell them to a commercial
    firm, with an accompanying supply contract to cover the Bank's requirement
    for notes running for a period of seven years.


 2. The Bank of England currently manufactures approximately 1 billion sterling
    banknotes annually at its printing operation based in Debden, Essex, which
    employs approximately 250 people.



 3. It is anticipated that consideration will be based on the net asset value of
    the Bank's banknote printing operations and that any transaction would be
    modestly earnings enhancing for De La Rue.



4.      De La Rue, a British company, is the world's largest commercial security
printer and papermaker, involved in the production of over 150 national
currencies and a wide range of security documents such as travellers cheques and
vouchers.  The Company is pioneering new technologies worldwide in government
identity solutions for national identification, drivers licence, passport
issuing schemes and election systems.  Employing over 6,500 people across 31
countries, it is also a leading provider of cash handling equipment and software
solutions to banks and retailers worldwide, helping them to reduce the cost of
handling cash.








                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange