§ Lord Jenkins of Putneyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have read the statement of the National Book Committee on School Library Services and what is their response.
Lord LucasI can assure the noble Lord that the Government has given attention to the National Book Committee's statement and welcomes the recent 79WA publication of the Department of National Heritage's report on school library services mentioned there. It is the Government's firm view that decisions about the appropriate level of expenditure on school library services, and on the purchase of books in general, are best taken at local level and not by central government. A school's governing body and its headteacher are in the best position to decide how to allocate a school's resources, taking into account their statutory responsibilities, their own priorities and the needs of their pupils.