§ Lord Palmerasked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the total cost over the last 12 months of publishing all government publications, excluding staff costs; how many of these publications were distributed freely; what was the average circulation of these publications; what, if any, revenues were raised by charging for any of these publications; and what were the equivalent figures for 1997. [HL325]
§ Lord Bassam of BrightonThe information requested can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Government publications are produced in a variety of ways, with central arrangements for the production of statutory materials, Command Papers and the official gazettes managed by Her Majesty's Stationery Office. For other publications each department adopts its own methods for official publication and distribution. Many printed publications are made available free of charge but the majority are available at a charge to the end-user. Most publications are also available for download at no charge from government websites.
Where departments arrange publication via commercial publishers the risks and direct costs of publication are generally met by the publisher with no direct costs for publication falling on the public purse. In some cases there may be a contractual revenue-sharing arrangement between a publisher and a department.