HC Deb 03 February 1981 vol 998 c80W
Mr. Faulds

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make a statement in connection with his policy for charging the public for Treasury pamphlets relating to the arts and the heritage; and how he assesses the value of them.

Mr. Peter Rees

The Treasury's policy in regard to material it makes generally available to the public is based on the actual costs of production and distribution. I assume that the hon. Member has particularly in mind the 76 page memorandum, "Capital Taxation and the National Heritage", published on 17 December 1980. The charge of £2 per copy for that document reflects only the cost of re-producing it plus postage and a small handling charge. It takes no account of the staff time spent on drafting the memorandum.