Mr. KELLYasked whether the right hon. Gentleman can state the cost of 193 reporting and publishing Parliamentary Debates; and how the present system compares with the former system in cost And efficiency?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEIn the Session of 1908, the last of the old system, the actual cost of reporting the Debates in both Houses was £13,194. The length of the Session was 171 days. The average cost per diem was £77 3s. In the Session of 1909, the first year of the new system, the cost of producing the Parliamentary Debates was £14,279. The Session lasted 179 days, and the average cost per diem was £79 15s. In the case of the Commons, the Daily Reports are now issued on the morning after the Debate, and not as under the old system eight days afterwards, and the cost of the printing alone is by reason of this almost twice the amount which would have to be paid for the day work. The reporting staff has been augmented, and the individual salaries have been substantially increased and put upon an annual basis. Notwithstanding these outlays the improved service has on the whole been obtained for a similar expenditure. The increased facilities under the new system produced a largely increased demand from Members, which, under the old arrangement, would have been very costly to meet. There were supplied in 1909 134 additional sets of volumes, and 701 additional copies daily of the House of Commons OFFICIAL REPORT. If what is now received by the Members and for the public service had been purchased from the contractors on the terms of the old contract—not allowing anything extra for the production of the REPORT by next morning—the cost would have been £24,000, instead of £14,279.