HC Deb 17 May 1938 vol 336 cc238-9W
Mr. T. Smith

asked the Secretary for Mines whether he can state the total quantity of coal exported during the four months ended 30th April, 1938, from the Humber ports, respectively, and the comparable figures for each of the past five years?

Captain Crokshank:

The information is as follows:

of any magnitude within the last 12 months have shown a loss to the taxpayer?

Captain Wallace:

The present system of pricing Government publications is so designed that the total cost of printing the copies for sale to the public (that is to say exclusive of the cost of compiling the material and the cost of official copies) is recovered from the proceeds of sale without any appreciable profit or loss to the taxpayer.

Individual publications are not separately costed, and I am afraid that the considerable amount of labour which would be involved in obtaining the information desired by my hon. Friend would be disproportionate to its value, especially as in very many cases sales continue for more than 12 months. I will however gladly have inquiries made about any particular publications in which my hon. Friend is interested.

Sir A. Wilson

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what is the price payable by the public for a copy of the evidence tendered to the Royal Commission on Safety in Mines up to date; how many copies have hitherto been sold at that price; and how many have been distributed gratuitiously to Government Departments and the Press, respectively?

Captain Wallace:

The evidence given before this Commission is published in daily parts. Up to the present time 50 of these daily parts have been published at prices varying between 1s. 6d. and 4s. each. The price of each part is, as usual, fixed according to the amount of material which it contains, in conformity with the pricing scale for Government publications. About 500 copies of each part have been sold and another 170 copies have been provided for official use. No free copies have been supplied to the Press; the sittings of the Commission at which evidence is given are public and are attended by Press representatives.

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