§ Mr. GoodladTo ask the Minister for the Arts what plans he has for the privatisation of local authority library services; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. LuceI have no plans for the privatisation of these services. However, I hope to provide new opportunities to help public libraries to find additional resources for improving their services by allowing them to charge for a wider range of additional and specialised services, perhaps in partnership with the private sector, and by encouraging them to contract-out parts of their operations. I shall shortly be issuing a consultative paper on how this might best be done.