HC Deb 20 July 1932 vol 156 cc2279-80
67. Sir JOSEPH LARMOR

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that the Appendix to the Report of the Royal Commission on the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, containing the evidence on which their Report is based, is now published at the price of 25s.: and whether he can provide means of making this document more accessible to impecunious members of the universities concerned and to Members of this House?

Sir JOHN BAIRD (for Mr. Hilton Young)

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. As the hon. Member is aware, the Appendix is a bulky volume and contains a high proportion of expensive tabular matter. The price of 25s. was fixed, in accordance with the general practice, to be explained in my reply today to the hon. and learned Member for the Camlachie Division, and I regret that I am unable to recommend its reduction.

Sir J. LARMOR

Is the hon. Baronet aware that a great deal of the expense of tabular matter has little relevance to the object of the Report, consisting in part of a statement of the benefit obtainable from various insurance companies?

Sir J. BAIRD

I shall be very glad to discuss the matter of a modification with my hon. Friend, but it is a fact that tabular matter is very expensive to print, and accounts for a very great part of the high cost of publication.

68. Sir HALFORD MACKINDER

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury on what basis the sale prices of Government publications are now being fixed; and whether the cost of free distribution to Members of Parliament and others is in effect borne by members of the public purchasing copies?

Sir J. BAIRD

As a general rule, Government publications are now issued at cost price, i.e., if every copy printed were sold the cost of paper, printing, binding, etc., would just be recovered. In the case of Parliamentary publications, the urgency of the work prevents these costs being ascertained separately for each publication before it is issued, but a scale of charges has been laid down which, on the average, gives the same result. It-will be obvious from this that a proportionate part of the whole cost of each publication represented by the number of copies not sold—whether these are used for official purposes, issued free to Members of Parliament or others, or retained in stock—remains a charge upon the Exchequer.