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Copying Service Charging Policy

This policy outlines the charges the Parliamentary Archives makes for the provision of copies of all material in its custody. It applies to original archival material of all shapes, sizes and formats and also to any printed or published books, pamphlets, journals or articles which we hold.

The Parliamentary Archives can supply copies of our holdings on paper or digitally. We have a small team of staff who are trained in handling documents of all formats and sizes and who are experienced in capturing images using a range of specialist equipment. They will endeavour to obtain the best image of documents for your purposes, while taking into account the condition, size and format of the original.

Charges are levied for all copies made, to reflect the direct and indirect costs of the equipment, consumables and staff time required to deliver this service..

Our charges also reflect House of Lords Administration strategic aims and objectives, including to maximise the potential of digital tools; take account of best practice in other organisations; and are informed by our responsibility to taxpayers, society and the environment.

Full details of our prices are laid out in our Copying Services Price List, but customers should also be aware of the following points:

  • We reserve the right to make copies using the equipment and processes which are most suitable, to minimise the risk of damage to the original documents.
  • We reserve the right to refuse to copy documents when the risk of damage is deemed high.
  • Where a surrogate of an original document already exists (e.g. a printed version of a document), we will normally create the copy from the surrogate, for preservation reasons.
  • For remote orders, there is a minimum charge, regardless of the size of the order. This is inclusive of postage and packing.
  • Unless otherwise requested by the customer, all copies will be created at a resolution which renders them readable, for research purposes. This will usually result in a copy which is the same size as the original, although we cannot guarantee this in every case.
  • If copies are required for publication or media purposes, the customer must specify their minimum requirements with regards image size and resolution. Higher quality images, for use in publications or in the media will be subject to higher charges and the customer must also complete a licence application form and pay licence fees as appropriate.
  • Parliamentary Archives staff will give due consideration to copyright issues when supplying copies. Copies can be provided for non-commercial research, private study or educational purposes only. Any other use requires the permission of the copyright owner. Information about Parliamentary Copyright is available on the Parliament website. In cases where customers wish to obtain permission to reproduce, publish or extensively quote from material from the Parliamentary Archives, our procedures must be followed.

Director of the Parliamentary Archives,  December 2022