§ Mr. Malcolm BruceTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the expenditure of his Department on newspapers and magazines in(a) 1995–96, (b) 1996–97, (c) 1997–98 to date and (d) 1997–98 full year; and if he will list the newspapers and magazines purchased or subscribed to on a regular basis. [26575]
§ Mrs. Liddell[holding answer 5 February 1998]: Expenditure by the Treasury on periodicals is estimated to be:
£000 Year Expenditure 1995–96 615 1996–97 556 1997–98 to end January 1998 445 1997–98 forecast outturn 625 These figures are on a cash basis and include newspapers, magazines, and other publications which appear on a regular basis. The lower costs in 1996–97 as against 1995–96 and 1997–98 result in large part from the lower level of parliamentary activity at the end of the last Parliament. This resulted for example, in the price of Hansard being reduced. A complete listing of the titles currently purchased on a regular basis could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, the Treasury purchases copies of most of the mainstream newspapers and current affairs journals.