HC Deb 26 April 2002 vol 384 cc499-501W
Mr. Yeo

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the newspapers subscribed to(a) Monday to Saturday and (b) on Sunday by his Department, stating for each subscription (i) the number of copies taken, and (ii) the annual cost. [52827]

Mr. Paul Murphy

Currently, the Wales Office subscribes to the following newspapers—

  • The Western Mail (Mon-Fri)—21 copies (22 on Monday)
  • The Western Mail (Sat)—2 copies
  • The Daily Post (Mon-Fri)—6 copies (7 on Monday)
  • The South Wales Echo (Mon-Sat)—2 copies
  • Wales on Sunday—2 copies
  • South Wales Argus (Mon-Sat)—2 copies
  • Wrexham Evening Leader (Mon-Sat)—2 copies
  • South Wales Evening Post (Mon-Sat)—2 copies
  • The Evening Standard (Mon-Fri)—4 copies
  • The Guardian (Mon-Fri)—5 copies (6 on Monday)
  • The Guardian (Sat)—1 copy
  • The Times (Mon-Fri)—7 copies (8 on Monday)
  • The Times (Sat)—1 copy
  • The Daily Telegraph (Mon-Fri)—5 copies (6 on Monday)
  • The Daily Telegraph (Sat)—1 copy
  • The Independent (Mon-Fri)—6 copies (7 on Monday)
  • The Independent (Sat)—1 copy
  • The Financial Times (Mon-Fri)—6 copies (7 on Monday)
  • The Financial Times (Sat)—1 copy
  • The Daily Mail (Mon-Fri)—5 copies (6 on Monday)
  • The Daily Mail (Sat)—1 copy
  • The Daily Express (Mon-Fri)—5 copies (6 on Monday)
  • The Daily Express (Sat)—1 copy
  • The Daily Mirror—incl. Welsh edition—(Mon-Fri)—7 copies (8 on Monday)
  • The Daily Mirror (Sat)—1 copy
  • The Sun (Mon-Fri)—5 copies (6 on Monday)
  • The Sun (Sat)—1 copy
  • The Daily Star (Mon-Fri)—1 copy
  • The Daily Star (Sat)—1 copy
  • The Scotsman (Mon-Sat)—1 copy
  • The Glasgow Herald (Mon-Sat)—1 copy
  • The Daily Record (Mon-;Sat)—1 copy
  • The Observer—1 copy
  • The Sunday Times—1 copy
  • The Sunday Telegraph—1 copy
  • The Independent on Sunday—1 copy
  • The Mail on Sunday—1 copy
  • The Sunday Express—1 copy
  • The Sunday Mirror—1 copy
  • The News of the World—1 copy
  • The Sunday People—1 copy
  • The Scotland on Sunday—1 copy
  • The Sunday Herald—1 copy

Many newspapers are cancelled over periods of recess, depending on staff and Ministerial presence in the London and Cardiff offices. It would prove disproportionately expensive to provide local figures on cost per title and due to the irregular nature of cancellation periods those figures would anyway provide an inaccurate picture of departmental spending.

The overall cost of newspapers to the Wales Office in the last invoiced month, February 2002, was £916.06.

Mr. Yeo

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the magazines and periodicals subscribed to by his Department, stating for each subscription (i) the number of copies taken, and (ii) the annual cost. [52828]

Mr. Paul Murphy

The Wales Office has annual subscriptions to the House magazine (1 copy)—£345; the Parliamentary Monitor (1 copy)—£310; Private Eye (1 copy)—£19; The Spectator (1 copy)—£97; The New Statesman (1 copy)—£100.