§ Major Legge-Bourkeasked the Secretary of State for War how much is spent by his Department annually in purchasing copies of the publications of the Bureau of Current Affairs; how this cost compares with that of the publications of the former Army Bureau of Current Affairs; how many copies per issue are being acquired; who decides on their distribution and who gets them; and what assessment is made of the demand of recipients to get them.
379W
§ Mr. BellengerThe cost is at present al the rate of about £24,000 a year and is paid from Stationery Office not Army Funds. No strict comparison can be made since the former staff of A.B.C.A. were responsible for other duties besides the production of these publications and they provided also for the requirements of the Air Ministry, but the cost under the present arrangement is certainly less than it was. About 53,000 copies of "Current Affairs" and 20,000 of "Map Review" are acquired at present. They are distributed on a scale sufficient to allow the material in the publication to be communicated to, and discussed by, all ranks in training or working hours, as laid down in Army Council Instructions.