§ Lord LEE of NEWTONasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have any Statement to make on the price of the Official Report.
§ Lord PEARTHansard prices were last increased in April 1978 but, as production costs and overheads have continued to rise, it is now necessary to increase the price of the daily edition from 40p to 45p and the weekly edition from 80p to 90p. There will be corresponding increases in the prices of indexes and bound volumes and in subscription rates. The scale of charges for reprints of Peer's speeches appearing in the Official Report will also be raised. The revised prices will come into effect at the beginning of the new Parliament but new annual subscription rates will be introduced immediately. Despite these increases, the publication of Hansard will still incur a substantial financial loss.