Dear Sir or Madam,

There appears to be no information on the Parliament website about
the current use of vellum by the Houses of Parliament.

Please can you tell me:

1. How many sheets of vellum have been printed with Acts of
Parliament per session since 1999 (when MPs voted to continue the
practice).

2. How many sheets of vellum have been purchased per year, at what
cost, and from what supplier, since the year 1999.

3. Any details you have about the expenses for handling and
printing upon the sheets of vellum.

Thank you,

Julian Todd.

Thank you for your email.

The House of Lords Information Office receives large numbers of e-mails and we aim to reply within 10 working days. If you need the information sooner please telephone the House of Lords Information Office on 020 7219 3107.

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If you have access to the Internet you may find the answers to most of your queries on the House of Lords pages of the parliament web site: www.parliament.uk

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Telephone: 020 7276 2005

For an Information Pack call: 020 7276 2315

Web: www.lordsappointments.gov.uk

Thank you.

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<<Vellums.doc>>

Dear Sirs,

The number of pages of vellum Acts of Parliament printed, together with
the cost per page is shown in the attached table. The information is
held by the House by financial year running from April to March, and I
have therefore provided it in this form. Price changes are effective
from April, with the exception of year 2004-05 (which I have split into
two segments).

The House does not hold any relevant information prior to 2001. The
supplier of vellum to our printers (The Stationery Office) is William
Cowley Ltd.

No sheets of blank vellum have been purchased since 1999, as a large
quantity, which has not yet been used up, was purchased in bulk before
this date. Such sheets are used for the construction of the Roll of the
Lords.

You may, if dissatisfied with the treatment of your request for
information, ask the House of Lords to conduct an internal review.
Requests for an internal review should be addressed to
[email address] or to the Freedom of Information Officer, House
of Lords, London SW1A 0PW. Arrangements will be made for someone who has
not been involved in dealing with your request to conduct an internal
review within 20 working days.
If, following this review, you remain dissatisfied with the House's
treatment of your request for information then you make take your
complaint to the Information Commissioner at Wycliffe House, Water lane,
Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

Yours faithfully,

Mark Cooper
Public Bill Office
House of Lords

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Dear Mark Cooper,

I have a few questions about the information you just supplied to
me about the quantity of vellum used by the House of Lords,
pursuant of the vote in the House of Commons in 1999 to continue
the practice of printing Acts of Parliament in duplicate on vellum.

* You say that the House of Lords is working through its stockpile
of vellum that was bulk purchased before 1999. How then can the
cost per sheet vary from year to year from the same stockpile?

* The 1999 vote in the House of Commons was made arguably to
support the sole supplier, William Cowley Ltd. You are stating that
no purchases have been made from this company since then, for
example, to keep the stockpile topped up?

* Can you tell me the current size of this stockpile of vellum and
any projections about when it is likely to be exhausted? What plans
are there for dealing with this eventuality?

Yours sincerely,

Julian Todd.

Dear Mr.Todd,

Thank you for your e-mail of 24 July.

It may be helpful if I clarified the position as far as Acts of
Parliament are concerned. William Cowley Ltd. supplies vellum to our
printer The Stationery Office. The costs include those for printing.

The unused vellum held by the House administration will be used for the
construction of the Roll of the Lords (and not Acts of Parliament).
Members sign the Roll when they take the oath.

We do not hold recorded information relevant to your questions
concerning the stock of vellum held by the administration. However, I
have spoken to a colleague who deals with the Roll. He informs me that
there are approximately 100 sheets. Given the limited use it is likely
to take some time to exhaust this supply.

Frances Grey
Freedom of Information Officer
House of Lords

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