Campbell highlights Saville print costs

DUP MP Gregory Campbell who requested the information of Secretary of State Owen Paterson said the printing costs were excessive.

The East Londonderry MP asked how much the print run had cost to the public purse.

Mr Paterson replied: "285 copies of the 'Report of the Bloody Sunday Inquiry' (HC29, 5,200 pages) and 2,200 copies of the 'Principal Conclusions and Overall Assessment of the Bloody Sunday Inquiry' (HC30, 60 pages) were printed.

"These copies were printed to facilitate advance sight of the report and provide interested parties with copies; to provide the required number of copies to Parliament and The Stationery Office for publishing purposes; and for provision within Government, to the Northern Ireland Assembly, and to the Irish Government.

"The total cost of printing, including costs related to DVD production and the security measures put in place to protect the integrity of the report prior to publication, was 194,652. It is not possible to separate out the individual printing costs of the full report and the summary document."

Mr Campbell said: "For the cost to have reached almost 200,000 shows the printing bill is as excessive as that of the report itself.

"It is extraordinarily excessive. I would expect it is several times as expensive as every other inquiry report.

"This is further proof that we do not need any more expensive inquiries," he added.