HL Deb 06 November 2000 vol 618 cc129-30WA
Lord Avebury

asked the Chairman of Committees:

How many copies of the House of Lords Annual Report were sold to members of the public; how many were given away; what was the total number printed; what was the net cost of the publication; and whether he will consider publishing it only on the web in the future. [HL4382]

The Chairman of Committees (Lord Boston of Faversham)

One hundred and twenty-three copies of the House of Lords Annual Report and Accounts for 1999–2000 have been sold. A further 60 copies were ordered by the House of Commons.

In addition to those copies which were circulated to all Members of the House and made available in the Printed Paper Office, 70 copies were sent free of charge to selected journalists, and to a small number of academics specialising in the work of the House of Lords.

The number of copies printed is a matter for the Publisher, The Stationery Office Limited (TSO), rather than the House. However, I understand that TSO's print run for the Annual Report was 1,314.

If by "the net cost of the publication" the noble Lord means the total sum payable by the House to TSO for the printing of the Annual Report and for the copies required by the House, the sum is £5,563.

So far as the noble Lord's proposal that the Annual Report should in future be published only on the web, I believe that in its printed form the report is widely read and appreciated, particularly by Members of the House.