§ Mr. Critchleyasked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what progress has been made in the plans to encourage sales of British newspapers and periodicals in overseas markets.
Dr. HillA pilot scheme for the promotion of sales of newspapers and periodicals has been agreed with the Periodical Proprietors Association and is now being put into operation, as a first step, in Chile, Ethiopia, Thailand and Uruguay. The first supplies are now being sent to these countries and will be on sale there in January, 1961. The extension of the scheme to other countries is being considered.
The 128 titles, included in the pilot scheme represent a wide range of general, trade, technical and specialist publications. Agents in the countries concerned are being invited to order from the list of these publications. Publishers will provide copies free of charge for periods of 6 weeks for daily newspapers, 3 months for weekly air mail editions, and 6 months for all other periodicals. Newspapers and the weekly journals published in air mail editions will be supplied by air. The cost of air carriage will be shared in agreed proportions by Her Majesty's Government and the publishers. The remainder of 152W the publications will be sent by surface mail at the expense of Her Majesty's Government. All the publications will be sold by the Agents at agreed prices. After the initial promotion periods the agents will obtain their supplies by normal commercial arrangements. The agents will also be encouraged to obtain subscription orders, particularly for periodicals of a more technical or specialised nature.
The Official Information Services will assist in publicising the scheme. In addition, agents will receive supplies of a promotion folder which lists the titles immediately available under the scheme and which is intended for general distribution to potential buyers.