§ HANSARD
§ 2.50 p.m.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any statement to make on the price of Hansard of the House of Lords]
THE MINISTER OF CIVIL AVIATION (LORD PAKENHAM)My Lords, as stated by my right honourable friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in a Written Answer in another place yesterday, the price of the daily issue of Hansard has been maintained at 6d. since 1923. With rising production costs, the loss in the financial year 1949–50 was approximately £45,000, taking into account all editions. Of this the House of Lords editions accounted for about £5,000. It has therefore been reluctantly decided to increase the price, in order to reduce the loss. The cost of the House of Lords editions will be raised from 6d. to 9d. for the daily part, and from 811 1s. to 1s. 6d. for the weekly edition. Proportionate increases will be made in the subscription rates. The new prices will take effect immediately after the Whitsun Recess.
LORD STRABOLGIMy Lords, I should like to ask my noble friend whether the loss is not partly accounted for by a very large, and desirable, free issue to Government Departments.
LORD PAKENHAMMy Lords, I have not the details of the issue in question. I cannot believe that it is a very large proportion of the loss, but if the noble Lord will put down a Question, I can provide him with the details.
§ LORD LLEWELLINMy Lords, may I ask whether the Commons issue has gone up by the same amount? Many of your Lordships will no doubt feel that our edition contains better material, but there is a great deal more volume in the daily parts of the Commons.
LORD PAKENHAMMy Lords, I agree with the noble Lord that there is something to be said for quality as against quantity. I think I am right in saying that the price of the daily issue of the House of Commons Hansard has been increased from 6d. to 9d., as has ours; but their weekly edition has been increased from 1s. 6d. to 2s. Therefore, in the latter some attention is paid to quantity and not to quality.
LORD SALTOUNMy Lords. I should like to ask the noble Lord whether he will examine the possibility of giving to those noble Lords who speak on any subject a rather larger free issue of the Hansard containing the particular debate. After one has made one's revisions there are few copies left, and often when one talks on a subject which is of great interest to many different people one is more or less under an obligation to pass round the appropriate copies of Hansard to a fairly large number of persons.
LORD PAKENHAMMy Lords, I will place that suggestion before my right honourable friend. So far as the noble Lord is concerned, I can see nothing against it, but I can envisage certain dangers. It might lead some noble Lords to take part in debates in order to benefit from the free issue.
§ VISCOUNT SWINTONMy Lords, is it not a fact that the speeches of the noble Lord, Lord Saltoun, are well worth the money charged for them; and would it not be gladly subscribed by his correspondents?