To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much it cost to (a) produce and (b) distribute the Northern Ireland Office Autumn Performance Report 2004; and how many copies were distributed.

The Northern Ireland Office 2004 Autumn Performance Report was printed by The Stationery Office (TSO). Costs of printing and publication are met directly by TSO and do not fall to Government. The NIO is invoiced only for the 190 copies it requested. An additional cost was incurred this year on design and artwork on the report prior to printing. Overall the cost to the NIO of producing the Autumn Performance Report 2004 was slightly over £5,000.

To date the NIO has distributed around 160 copies to a range of Government agencies and public representatives, including the Northern Ireland Members of Parliament, HM Treasury and Northern Ireland Select Committees. Distribution is almost entirely carried out by the government messenger service: details of the cost would be disproportionately expensive to obtain, but it is believed to be minimal. The Stationery Office has its own distribution arrangements.