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Scottish Government publications
28/01/2008
Improvements in the way Scottish Government publications are produced and distributed are intended to result in cost savings of more than £2 million as well as significant environmental benefits.
The savings are to be achieved during the next two years, mainly through a reduction in the amount of printed materialm, a shift to a print-on-demand, and greater online publishing.
All publications aimed at the general public will still be available in hard copy and available to download free of charge from the website.
Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth John Swinney said:
"Delivering greater efficiency in our public services is a priority for the Scottish Government. We must make every effort to ensure that business practices achieve the best investment for Scottish taxpayers. This requires tough, responsible decisions in terms of how we run our public services.
"As a Government, we are committed to getting our own house in order. As part of this we have reviewed how we produce and distribute our publications. We have scrutinised current practice and identifed improvements which will ensure a more
cost-effective way of working.
"While we will save around £2 million, these changes are not simply about cost savings. Reducing the volume of publications we print will also have a positive environmental impact - these are precisely the kinds of actions which will contribute to a Greener Scotland.
"Ensuring access to Scottish Government information is also a priority and while fewer publications will be printed, accessibility will be maintained. All Scottish Government publications aimed at the general public will still be distributed by hard copy and in the usual way with copies available to download free of charge from our website. We will review these changes to assess their impact over the next two years."
Scottish Government publications are produced and published by RR Donnelley under the Design, Print, Pubilshing and Associated Servcies contract (DPPAS). The contract has an annual value of around £10 million for core Scottish Government work. Each Directorate commissions and funds its own publications.
The changes to the (DPPAS), which follow a review of current practice, will be phased in from April 1, 2008. The Scottish Government will continue to issue free copies of publications to key stakeholders and other interested parties. Additional requested copies will be subject to a nominal postage and packaging charge. Anyone unwilling to pay this cost can download the publication from the SG website. Whitehall Departments have been doing this for some years.
The increase in web-only publications will reduce the need for large amounts of printed copies and be more environmentally friendly. From June 2008, the Scottish Government will stop producing large reprints of publications, except in exceptional circumstances.
Where demand is substantial and continuous, any reprinted copies will carry a small cover price to cover the cost of the reprint.