§ 37. Mrs. ClwydTo ask the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, representing the House of Commons Commission, what representations he has received on the privatisation of Her Majesty's Stationery Office. [7479]
§ Mr. BeithNone, apart from those received during the debate on the privatisation of HMSO on 18 December 1995.
§ Mrs. ClwydWhen the only HMSO bookshop in Wales was shut, people were told to go to Bristol if they wanted to use HMSO's services. Can the right hon. Gentleman assure me that the same thing will not happen now and that the network of bookshops providing HMSO services will remain the same and in the same place?
§ Mr. BeithThe Commission cannot take responsibility for HMSO's retail network or the arrangements it has with retailers. The letter sent from Madam Speaker to the Ministry concerned contained the clear views of HMSO on how the House's requirements must be met. It has insisted at every stage that those requirements will be met. At the end of the day, it reserves the right to make whatever arrangements are necessary and appropriate to ensure that the House's publishing requirements are properly met.