§ Mr. Wigleyasked the Secretary of State for Wales what are the circumstances in which the Welsh Office makes financial charges for information supplied by it in reply to correspondence sent to it by citizens in Wales.
§ Mr. Nicholas EdwardsAs the hon. Member will be aware, my Department produces a wide range of published material which, dependent upon its nature, is available for purchase or distributed free of charge. Ad hoc information requested by the public is usually given free of charge, provided it is readily available in the form required. However, in cases where departmental time has to be spent extracting and compiling the required information then a charge may be made in respect of the staff cost involved. It is not possible to make generalisations as charging decisions are governed by individual circumstances.