§ Mr. BlunkettTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will authorise Her Majesty's Stationery Office to release, without charge, or at printed publication price only, computer disks of Government publications, to enable the Royal National Institute for the Blind, or its subcontractors, to produce braille copies of those publications; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. BrookeHer Majesty's Stationery Office is ready and willing to enter into negotiations with the Royal Institute for the Blind, or its subcontractors, for the supply to it of those Government publications which are readily available in machine-readable form. Given HMSO's statutory obligations as a trading fund, however, it would be inappropriate for it to supply this material on an ongoing basis at less than the extra cost of providing it, though it would be able to supply sample disks or tapes without charge to assist any initial research and development.