Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many copies of The Gazette at what cost are printed each day.

The Gazette (https://www.thegazette.co.uk/) is the UK’s official public record and is published by Authority. First printed in 1665, The Gazette has evolved into a sophisticated online digital platform that is accessed and used by tens of thousands of commercial organisations, local and central government, and the general public, every day.

Some notices are required by statute to be published in The Gazette, whilst others are placed voluntarily, to put official information permanently on the public record and in the public domain, including state notices such as the Queen’s Birthday and New Year Honours; insolvency notices such as bankruptcy and winding up orders; legal notices relating to probate and deceased estates; public sector notices; and other notices such as the dissolution of companies or recording a change of name by deed poll.

Today, most people access and use The Gazette online. Online access to all published notices (including an archive of notices) is free, and users can easily download a pdf of the latest Gazette and print it for free. Libraries get a free pdf copy which they can make available for readers to view or print. Additionally, printed copies can be ordered from The Stationery Office at a small cost.

The London Gazette has an average daily print run of 114 copies. The Belfast Gazette has an average weekly print run of 91. The Edinburgh Gazette is printed twice a week, and has an average print run of 165. The publicly procured concession contract under which the Gazette is produced is subject to commercial confidentiality. A link to the contract can be found at https://data.gov.uk/data/contracts-finder-archive/contract/749253/.