§ Lord Molloyasked the Chairman of Committees:
Why the sound archive can supply video tapes of speeches in the House of Commons for £ 10, while those in the Lords cost more.
§ The Chairman of Committees (Lord Aberdare)The sound archive (which is a part of the House of Lords Record Office) at present provides a different level of service to the two Houses in respect of televised material. For the duration of the House of Commons' televising experiment the sound archive will retain copies of all material recorded. For the House of Lords, the archive keeps copies only of material actually broadcast. The sound archive is able to provide video cassettes of the proceedings of the House of Commons in its custody to a member 1505WA of either House for a fee of £ 10 to contribute to direct costs. Video cassettes of material not kept by the archive (i.e. proceedings of the House of Lords which are filmed but not broadcast) have to be obtained direct from the broadcasters, who charge commercial rates for access and editing.
The difference in service provided to each House by the sound archive arises from decisions taken in each House in respect of support for the archive. At the time televising of the House of Lords was made permanent, the Select Committee on Televising the Proceedings of the House decided that the cost of the necessary equipment for maintenance of a full television archive could not be justified. The House of Commons have since approved the purchase of the minimum equipment required. The future maintenance of a full television archive for both Houses would require additional equipment, staff and shortage accommodation. The Select Committee on Broadcasting recently invited the Assistant Clerk of the Records (Sound Archive) to explore the possibility of eventual maintenance of a full television archive for the House of Lords on the same footing as that agreed for the House of Commons during their experiment.