§ Sir Ralph HowellTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were(a) the publication costs and (b) the price to the public, of the public expenditure White Paper in 1979 and its equavalent, including each of the departmental reports, in 1993.
§ Mr. David DavisI have been asked to reply.
The price of the Public Expenditure White Paper (Cmnd 7439) was £4.25 in 1979. The combined price of all individual departmental reports and the accompanying statistical supplement to the "Autumn Statement" (Cms 2201–2219) was £261.25 in 1993. HMSO sells complete sets at the discounted price of £175.
761WThe costs of printing, publishing and distribution were borne by HMSO which aims to recover these from sales revenue.