§ LORD RAGLANasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have any statement to make on the price of Hansard of the House of Lords.
§ LORD BESWICKMy Lords, as stated by my honourable friend the Financial Secretary in another place, the selling price ofHansard has been much less than cost for many years, and its present price has remained unchanged since 1962. Since then the number of pages has increased, on average, by about 13 per cent., and the production costs have risen as well.
For these reasons the loss on sale copies of the various editions has increased from £65,000 a year in 1962 to about £120,000 a year now. We have therefore reluctantly decided that the price of the Daily Edition will be raised from 1s. 6d. to 2s. 3d., the Weekly Edition from 3s. to 4s. 6d. and the Weekly Index from 9d. to 1s. with corresponding increases in subscription rates. It is estimated that these increases, which will operate from the beginning of the new Session, will reduce the losses by about £20,000 a year.
House adjourned at eighteen minutes past five o'clock.