§ Mr. Peter AinsworthTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media And Sport what measures he is taking to encourage the recruitment and retention of music librarians by public libraries; and if he will make a statement. [157562]
§ Mr. Chris SmithMy responsibility under the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 is to ensure that library authorities in England meet their statutory duty to provide 415W a "comprehensive and efficient" public library service. The day-to-day management of library services, however, is for library authorities, who must make their own decisions about the detailed nature of the library service they provide, based on local resources and priorities. This includes such matters as the numbers, grading and qualifications of staff, and where they are employed within the library service.
§ Mr. Peter AinsworthTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many local authorities employ full-time music librarians; and how many did so in 1996–97. [157563]
§ Mr. Chris SmithThis information is not collected centrally. The CIPFA Public Library Statistics, which are available in the Library of the House, provide information on the numbers of professional, other non-manual and manual posts in public libraries but do not identify the numbers of posts in the various libraries and departments of any library authority.