Over £2 Million Spent On Government Annual Reports

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 15th Apr 2003

Liberal Democrat Shadow Treasury Minister, Norman Lamb MP, has slammed Government departments and agencies for spending over £2 million on publishing their annual reports.

Figures produced as a result of Mr Lamb's investigation show a total of £2,105,139 was spent on production. The most expensive produced by any Government department was the Department for Work and Pensions Annual Report, which cost the DWP £94,940.

"After investigating these Annual Reports, I have come to the conclusion that they mostly represent £2 million of waffle" said Norman Lamb. "Most are a complete waste of money.

"In particular, why does the cost of producing them vary so much? Why did the Treasury's Annual Report cost just £4,912 to produce, compared with over £90,000 for the DWP's? To recoup these costs, the cover prices are mostly exorbitant. Who is going to want to pay £68 for both volumes of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's Annual Report, which comes as a boxed set?

"Contrast that with the RAF Air Officer Commanding Training Group. They obviously realise that their report will only have a limited readership, so they are only spending £15 on producing the new edition - a comprehensive and fairly lengthy document - while also making it available to everyone on the Internet. This begs the question as to why Government departments waste money every year on lavish, colourful publications.

"I have also come across several examples of totally pointless information being included in the reports. Why does the Defence Analytical Services Agency need to devote two pages to the exploits of its ten-pin bowling team?

"I am all for openness in Government, but these glossy reports are just window-dressing. There is no point in so many Departments spending so much on Annual Reports which so few people read. The cost of producing hard copies should be kept to an absolute minimum, and people who want to see the contents encouraged to access them on the Internet.

"Most Annual Reports represent a triumph of presentation over content."