Voices Magazine (Hansard, 25 October 2000)

§ The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Jay of Paddington)
My Lords, the Government publish an annual report on women's policy in accordance with the United Nation's Beijing Platform for Action agreed by the previous administration in 1995. For the past two years we have published the report in an accessible magazine format called Voices. Last year's report was particularly commended at the United Nations Special Assembly on Women held in June. We expect this year's report to be read by 1 million women, It costs 51p per copy to produce.

§ Viscount Goschen
My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness the Leader of the House for her Answer. Does she accept that the dispute does not concern the importance of the subject matter, but rather the fact that the Government have produced their own far from independent magazine when so many commercial titles already cover the same issues? The Government are in danger of giving rise to the impression that they are ignoring the boundary 323 between the legitimate publication of factual information and political self-promotion at public expense.

A noble Baroness
Has the noble Viscount read it?

§ Baroness Jay of Paddington
My Lords, my noble friend sitting in her place behind me has asked whether the noble Viscount has read the publication. I suspect that he has but—without wishing to trespass on the range of the noble Viscount's reading matter—I hesitate to think that he is probably a regular reader of women's magazines. All I can say to him is that the information contained in Voices was extremely carefully researched. This year we enjoyed the great advantage of receiving specialised help from a particularly well-renowned women's magazine. That contribution enabled us to give women information of a kind which I think that it would be extremely difficult to describe as party political. For example, the magazine includes at the back detailed information as regards help on a range of issues and lists addresses to which people may apply for practical advice. It would be difficult to criticise that on party political grounds. Indeed, it is an extremely good publication on which we received expert help.

§ Baroness Williams of Crosby
My Lords, I have been a regular reader of Voices since its original publication and a rather irregular reader of conventional women's magazines. Perhaps I may congratulate the Leader of the House. This is exactly the kind of publication that many women need and will find extremely useful. Perhaps I may say further that I do not think that it is characterised by propaganda, but rather by information of a kind that, for women, is extremely important. Will the noble Baroness accept those compliments?

§ Baroness Jay of Paddington
Gladly, my Lords. I am very grateful to the noble Baroness. She has put her finger on the precise point here: the magazine aims to provide choices and information for women in a way which we hope is more acceptable and accessible to them than perhaps would be the case with more conventional government publications. It is also interesting to note that, since the publication was distributed to the 130,000 subscribers to Good Housekeeping—along with a wide distribution to doctors' surgeries and so forth—we have received an additional 2,000 requests made directly to the Cabinet Office for more copies of the magazine.

§ Baroness Howells of St Davids
My Lords, can my noble friend tell the House how the cost of the publication Voices compares with other parliamentary publications?

§ Baroness Jay of Paddington
My Lords, as I said earlier, the cost per copy of Voices is 51p. The average cost of the last 12 publications that I have been able to secure from the Central Office of Information has been 324 £3.37. Noble Lords may be interested to know that the House of Lords annual report, which I am sure that we would all agree is a very worthy and informative publication, costs £6.50 per copy.

Baroness Young
My Lords, does the noble Baroness the Leader of the House recognise that the point raised by my noble friend Lord Goschen is extremely serious? Does she agree that a distinction must be made between proper material from a government department and material that is clearly party political propaganda? Does she further recognise that the covering letter that was sent out with Voices makes it clear that this is what women can expect from the present Government, whereas anyone who has read the magazine will know that a great deal of the information and material contained in it applied just as much under a Conservative government as under the present administration? The distinction has been blurred.

§ Baroness Jay of Paddington
My Lords, as I made clear in my initial reply to the noble Viscount, Lord Goschen, this exercise is a continuation of a process that was initiated under the previous administration. It is precisely because the previous government decided to sign up to the Beijing Platform for Action on women's issues that the annual report is being published by the Government. The fact is that this Government have chosen to publish it in a form that we have found to be readily accessible to women. I do not say that in any kind of patronising way; all the evidence shows that both men and women find the publication of information in a format such as that adopted in Voices far more accessible than is the case for broadsheets or other more conventional government publications. As the noble Baroness, Lady Williams, was kind enough to say, we should be congratulated on achieving that.

§ Baroness Lockwood
My Lords, is it not a fact that there is a lacuna in the general flow of information from government to the public, whichever party may be in power? That is often reflected in the low take-up of many benefits. Is it not therefore important that initiatives such as Voices should be taken to ensure that women can find out about their rights and know what facilities are available to them?

§ Baroness Jay of Paddington
My Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend. She, too, has put her finger on an extremely important point. Voices has strived to be as informative as possible. The last three pages of the publication are devoted entirely to a guide containing names, numbers, addresses and websites to contact for advice and information on the issues that matter most to women. Those range from healthcare to the kind of benefits to which my noble friend has just referred.

§ Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknish
My Lords, because men tend to live for a slightly shorter time than women, does the noble Baroness not agree that there 325 may be a need for an equivalent health guide for men? Into which magazine does she think it might be inserted?
As one who actually has read the magazine Voices, I have to say to the noble Baroness that, judging by the pictures of herself and Tessa Jowell which are so well distributed throughout the publication, it did somewhat strike me as an organ that details what Labour has done for women. Does the noble Baroness really think that that is a proper use of public funds?

§ Baroness Jay of Paddington
My Lords, the magazine states clearly and firmly on the front cover that it is the Government's guide to opportunities. The fact that that refers to a Labour Government may not be something that the noble Lord finds palatable. However, that is the situation and I suspect that it will remain so. Furthermore, as I stated earlier, the front page of the publication makes it clear that it relates to our commitments under the Beijing process. So far as concerns the Conservative Party, perhaps they should publish a magazine called "Boys' Own".