§ Mr. Malcolm BruceTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his estimate of his Ministry's expenditure on newspapers and magazines in(a) 1993–94, (b) 1994–95 and (c) 1995–96, to date; and if he will list the publications purchased for the latest year for which information is available. [11417]
§ Mr. Douglas Hogg[holding answer 30 January 1996]: The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food's estimated expenditure over the past three years on newspapers and magazines, defined as scientific, technical and other highly specialised and general periodicals, is as follows:
- 1993–94: £624,000
- 1994–95: £623,000
- 1995–96: £481,000
The Ministry subscribes centrally to over 3,500 titles, and other records are maintained at a number of different locations. To provide a central list of publications purchased for the latest year for which information is available could be done only at disproportionate cost.