Written question asked by Andrew Dismore (Labour), in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 2 July 1999. It was answered by Lord Allan of Hallam on Friday, 2 July 1999 on behalf of the Information Committee.

Information Select Committee

Question: To ask the Chairman of the Information Committee, what estimate he has made of the durability and life expectancy of paper copies of the (a) Official Report and (b) other documents of record held by the Library.

Answer: Mr. Dismore: To ask the Chairman of the Information Committee what estimate he has made of the durability and life expectancy of paper copies of the (a) Official Report and (b) other documents of record held by the Library. [89111] Mr. Allan: For information on the current standards for paper used for the Official Report and other House documents of record held by the Library, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him today by the Chairman of the Administration Committee. The durability of older documents varies according to age, the type of paper used, the frequency of use and the storage conditions. The Library regularly monitors the condition of these documents and has a programme of conservation. It is aware of a particular problem with acidic paper used from about 1850 to 1950. Older Parliamentary Papers were moved in 1992 to controlled storage conditions in Broad Sanctuary, where there are also reserve volumes of the Official Report. The Library is investigating the feasibility of producing a digitised text of older Official Reports. As well as giving easy access to the text, this would also reduce use of the paper volumes and so aid their preservation.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 89111; 334 c284-5W
Session: 1998-99
Subjects: Conservation Documents Paper Public records House of Commons Library Official report