§ 31. Mr. Spearingasked the Minister for the Civil Service what plans he has for increasing the general availability and circulation of the Official Report.
§ The Minister of State, Civil Service Department (Mr. Charles R. Morris)Issues of the OFFICIAL REPORT will remain readily available at HMSO bookshops throughout the United Kingdom and to order from HMSO official agents. Her Majesty's Stationery Office will continue to advertise for sales by subscription and of individual issues in its catalogues and lists of publications.
§ Mr. SpearingI am grateful to my hon. Friend, but does he agree that because of the high proportion of copies of the OFFICIAL REPORT already printed which go free for official use, the ongoing print cost of l0p could be used to distribute these copies of the OFFICIAL REPORT perhaps on a subscription basis to many institutions, and that the public should be able to see where the OFFICIAL REPORT is available, perhaps by means of an official sign outside libraries? People would then be able to see with greater facility what we do in this place.
§ Mr. MorrisI certainly share my hon. Friend's motives. However, during the year 1973–74, the net loss on the Stationery Office publishing account for both the House of Commons and the House of Lords debates was £667,000. This is a factor which influences our approach to my hon. Friend's suggestion.