§ Mr. Sharpasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury why the Central Office of Information proposes buying books for re—sale abroad at one-quarter their purchase price; what type of books are involved in this transaction; and who arranges for their disposal in the countries to which they are sent.
§ Mr. Glenvil HallI think the hon. Member has been misinformed. In no case does the Central Office propose to buy books for re-sale abroad at one-quarter of their purchase price. The transactions which the hon. Member has in mind are presumably those of the British Book Exports Section of the Central Office, which has recently taken over from the British Council the work of furthering the export of British books to European countries where shortage of sterling or other restrictions create un-favourable conditions for the British exporter. The Section buys books from the publisher or wholesaler with sterling in London, and sells them through the Information Officers of His Majesty's Missions to the importers for local currency, thus relieving the British publisher of the risk of being left with inconvertible currency. Any type of British book ordered by foreign importers is included 23W in the scheme, which is non-discriminatory and operates as far as possible through commercial channels, and in close consultation with the British book trade. It is the practice of the Central Office in many cases to require the books to be put on the foreign market at 25 per cent. above the retail selling price in this country in order to cover transport and handling charges; and it may be this figure which the hon. Member has in mind.