Access to Scientific Journals

Dear Mr Taylor

Thank you for your request for information dated 22 November 2010, received by us on the same date.

We will endeavour to respond to your request promptly but in any case within 20 working days i.e. on or before 20 December 2010.

If you have any queries about your request, please use the request number quoted at the top of this letter.

Yours sincerely

Jenny Wormleighton
IRIS Support Officer

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Dear Mr Taylor

Thank you for your request for information which is copied below.

Access to electronic journals is made available by the House of Commons Library on the intranet in an A-Z list and through links from the Library Catalogue. The intranet is accessible to MPs and their researchers and Parliamentary staff including those working for the libraries and for the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST). In addition to the collection of electronic journals hard copy scientific journals are also accessible to MPs and their researchers and other Parliamentary staff.

Parliament does not have institutional access to Elsevier’s Science Direct or the package of Nature Journals or any other packages from scientific publishers. We do however have access to a number of titles which come under the broad heading of science (including Nature itself). The total cost of subscriptions to scientific journals during this year is £32,416.78. (N.B. Subscriptions are generally paid on an annual basis and this figure includes the costs of some databases which provide access to a range of content including scientific journals).

We have checked our records of articles purchased individually during the current Parliament and using the same criteria as above to define scientific journals the articles purchased cost a total of £73.62.

We have searched our e-journals database to identify the titles indexed under the science subject headings and the lists of journal titles (sheet 1 of the attached spreadsheet) and articles purchased individually (sheet 2 of the attached spreadsheet) are attached.

We have concluded that details of suppliers and prices is exempt information under section 43(3) of the FOI Act in that the House of Commons considers that the disclosure of this information would be prejudicial to the House’s and the third party’s commercial interests.

We have considered the public interest in transparency in the decision making process relating to the spending of public money, in public money being used effectively and public authorities getting value for money and in procurement processes being conducted in an open and honest way. However, we have decided that in this case the public interest has been met by disclosing the total amounts spend on subscriptions.

Whilst there may be a public interest in access to details of suppliers and the prices the House negotiated, we consider that in this case it is not in the wider public interest to disclose as there is a risk that the House's bargaining position for the future will be prejudiced and commercial organisations may become reluctant to enter into discussions which could undermine the House’s ability to fulfil its role effectively.

You may, if dissatisfied with the treatment of your request, ask the House of Commons to conduct an internal review of this decision. Requests for internal review should be addressed to: Freedom of Information Officer, Department of Resources, House of Commons London SW1 OAA or [House of Commons request email]. Please ensure that you specify the nature of your complaint and any arguments or points that you wish to make.

If you remain dissatisfied, you may appeal to the Information Commissioner at Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.

Yours sincerely

Bob Castle
Head of Information Rights and Information Security

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