§ Mr. David ShawTo ask the Lord President of the Council what proposals he has to make theOfficial Report and other parliamentary documents available to hon. Members and the public on compact disc.
§ Mr. MacGregorHMSO and Chadwyck-Healey Limited plan to launch theOfficial Report on compact disc (CD-ROM) during 1991. This is a joint venture and the discs will be made available commercially, although the pricing structure has yet to be finalised. The intention is to include initially at least the previous Session plus the current Session, with cumulatively updated discs being issued following each recess. Users with an IBM-compatible personal computer equipped with a CD-ROM drive will be able rapidly to search and access the text by keying in a significant word or combination of words.
A separate joint venture involving HMSO and Context Limited should also see the appearance in 1991 of statutory instruments on CD-ROM.