§ Lord Stoddart of Swindonasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the total cost of producing the House of Lords and House of Commons Official Report (Hansard); how many of each publication are issued each day, and at what cost per copy; and what would be the additional cost per copy for every additional thousand copies produced.
The Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Earl HoweThe total cost of printing and publishing theOfficial Report of both Houses in 1994 was £6.5 million. Daily parts issued were around 3,200 copies of Commons Hansard and 2,000 copies of Lords Hansard. Nominal cover prices of daily parts are £7.50 and £4.20 respectively, but most sales are on a subscription basis. Additional daily sales of 1,000 copies would enable prices to be reduced by around 20 per cent. in the case of the Commons and 30 per cent. in the case of the Lords.