asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the total number of photocopies of journal articles supplied by the British Library Lending Division to overseas customers in the latest year for which figures are available; what was the revenue from these overseas sales; and what were the marginal and total cost of supplying these photocopies.

255,745 in 1976–77, receipts from which are estimated to be £520,000. Expenditure directly attributable to this activity was estimated to be £225,000. Total costs of overseas photocopying of journal articles cannot be separated from the total costs of the Lending Division's operations without a detailed analysis of all the activities of the Lending Division in relation to the various services it supplies.