asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs in relation to the booklet and explanatory guide of the Single European Act published in November 1986 and the corresponding explanatory guide published in May 1987 (a) the number of copies of each guide which were printed (b) the number which were distributed (c) the number which were left undistributed and the manner in which they were disposed of (d) the cost of printing in both cases and (e) the printer in both cases.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Explanatory Guide to Single European Act.
44.
I assume that the Question refers to the publication "The Single European Act, An Explanatory Guide" published in November 1986 and the publication "The Single European Act, a Government information booklet" published in May 1987.
Twenty thousand copies each of the Explanatory Guide and the Information Booklet were printed.
The explanatory guide was made available in November 1986 and to date approximately eighteen thousand copies have been distributed. The information booklet was made available in May 1987 and to date approximately sixteen thousand copies have been distributed.
Approximately two thousand copies of the November explanatory guide and four thousand copies of the May 1987 information booklet remain, to serve as a basic stock, from which requests from educational bodies, schools, colleges, interested societies et cetera, may be met on a continuing basis in the future.
The cost of producing the 1986 explanatory guide was £13,680. The cost of producing the 1987 information booklet was £6,695.29.
The contract for printing the explanatory guide published in November 1986 was awarded to Cahill Printers Ltd. As I indicated in my reply to questions in this House on 16 June last, the information booklet was a revised and up-dated booklet, similar in nature and scope to the explanatory guide issued in November 1986. It was decided to award the contract for printing the information booklet to the firm which had printed the explanatory guide, namely, Cahill Printers Ltd. This was done with a view to minimising delay in production and printing costs. Cahill Printers Ltd already had on film record the text of the explanatory guide. A considerable saving in printing costs was therefore technically possible by awarding them the contract for printing the information booklet. This can be readily seen from the figures I have just provided.
Was the updated guide published in May 1987 the only Government publication in relation to the Single European Act published this year?
That is correct.