FOI requests show that 1,300 copies of the document were printed for MPs and Lords
Ministers spent more than £45,000 printing hard copies of the Brexit withdrawal deal, according to data released under Freedom of Information rules.
FOI requests by the BBC reveal that 1,300 copies of the near-600 page EU Withdrawal Agreement were printed to send to MPs and peers ahead of the deal’s 230-vote defeat in a House of Commons vote last month.
According to the figures, provided to the broadcaster by the Department for Exiting the European Union, the government spent £45,637 getting paper copies of the deal produced.
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A spokesperson for the department said: “The decision to print a number of hard copies of the Withdrawal Agreement was made in consultation with the parliamentary authorities as they are best placed to advise on the likely requirements of both Houses. This was particularly true in this instance given the significance of the withdrawal agreement and the need for parliamentarians to properly scrutinise it. The costs highlighted in the FOI response also include the secure delivery and handling of the document.”
The broadcaster reports that some copies of the agreement are still lying uncollected in the Parliamentary Vote Office.
