§ Mr. Campbell-SavoursTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the price charged at current prices for a complete set ofBusiness Monitors in 1979, and Prodcom statistics in 1995, to (a) a private company and (b) a public library; and what calculations have led to the difference. [26363]
§ Mr. NelsonThe price in 1979 for a full set ofBusiness Monitors, adjusted to today's prices, was £1,430 to a private company. The price charged in 1995 for a full set of "UK Markets", a considerably expanded and more 262W comprehensive set of reports which include trade data as well as Prodcom, is £4,950 to a private company. Sales of Business Monitors to public libraries in 1979 would have attracted a discount of 50 per cent. In 1995 a complete set of "UK Markets" is available to public libraries in hard copy at £4,950, but is also available on CD-ROM in a special library edition at £3,950.
§ Mr. Campbell-SavoursTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if Taylor Nelson AGB plc has a monopoly on the publication of statistics; what plans he has to allow a private statistics company to produce the complete Prodcom statistics on microfiche and sell those complete tables in that medium to libraries, and if he will make a statement. [26365]
§ Mr. NelsonTaylor Nelson AGB does not have a monopoly on the publication of Government or Central Statistical Office statistics. HMSO remains the major publisher of CSO data. There are currently no plans for a private sector company to release Prodcom on microfiche. It is already available in hard copy, CD-ROM and I-Fax, and plans are in hand to include it on the CSO's electronic databank. If any proposals are received they will be considered on their merits.