§ Dr. Brayasked the Lord President of the Council whether he will make a statement about the use of the photocopying machines supplied for Members in the House and its outbuildings.
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§ Mr. FootThe Services Committee has looked into this matter recently and in view of the change in the membership of the House since the Services Committee reported on this matter in 1969 I give below guidance on the use of the machines which the Committee wishes drawn to the attention of all Members, and by them to their secretaries and research assistants.
The use of photocopying machines
- 1. They are intended for use by Members in connection with their parliamentary duties, and not for work in connection with their party political or non-parliamentary work outside Parliament.
- 2. They may be used for correspondence with individual constituents directly related to matters being raised in Parliament on their behalf, but they may not be used for circulars of any kind or for letters of a general nature addressed to groups of people or to areas within a constituency.
- 3. Twelve copies of a single paper are allowed free but payment at the rate of 2p must be made for each copy in excess of this number.
- 4. The machines are not for continuous use by an individual, such as photocopying very lengthy documents, since this results in inconvenience to other Members and overheating of the machines.
- 5. Only Members may use the machines, or their secretaries or research assistants acting on their behalf with their specific authorisation. The latter must always give way to Members wishing to use the machine in person. On rare occasions staff of the House may need to use the machines in case of breakdown within their own Department.
Information as to the location and hours of use of the machines can be obtained from the Office of the Serjeant at Arms.