§ Mr. Keith SimpsonTo ask the Prime Minister how many Government sponsored official histories are in preparation; when each was commissioned; who the authors are; what the estimated dates of completion are; and what the estimated cost in each case is. [138778]
§ The Prime Minister[holding answer 17 November 2000]: The original programme of official histories, commissioned by the War Cabinet and covering military and civil histories of the second world war, was extended in 1966 by the then Prime Minister to include selected periods or episodes of peacetime history. The following are in preparation:
27WThe cost of preparing official histories is borne mainly by the Cabinet Office with royalties payable by the publisher offsetting the costs. It is not possible without disproportionate cost to itemise the cost of all the individual histories.