Departmental Publications (Hansard, 19 October 1999)

§ Mr. Maclean
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list her Department's spending on official publications since May 1997. [93681]

§ Clare Short
We publish a wide range of material, both centrally funded and as part of individual programmes such as those covering knowledge and research work. We spent around £1.3 million on official publications since May 1997, which includes the costs incurred in publishing, preparation, production and purchase of copies for official use. It excludes the costs of publications produced for internal use and as part of individual programmes of research.
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§ Mr. Matthew Taylor
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the titles of the in-house publications and newsletters which were produced for the staff of her Department, excluding non-departmental public bodies and agencies, in the last five years, specifying the dates on which each title was first produced, the frequency with which each title is produced and the current secrecy classification of each title. [93850]

§ Clare Short
The Department for International Development (DFID) has three main in-house publications for its staff:

'North & South', a bi-monthly staff newspaper produced since February 1991.

'What's happening?', a bi-monthly newsletter on management initiatives published since June 1997 under its present title, and from November 1996 to May 1997 as 'Management Matters'.

'Weekly Office Notices', an electronic newsletter of staff postings, and other events of general interest.
A number of individual departments also produce periodic newsletters for some or all staff. While it would be disproportionately expensive to provide an exhaustive list of these, examples include:

'European News', a monthly newsletter issued in print and electronic form by the European Union Department since 1997.

'NR News', a quarterly newsletter issued electronically by Rural Livelihoods and Environment Division since June 1996.

'Infoload', a monthly newsletter issued electronically by DFID's Library since 1997.
None of these in-house publications have any secrecy clarification. Several are only sent electronically to staff with an acknowledged interest in a particular subject, or to members of staff of the issuing department.