§ Lord McIntosh of HaringeyMy right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Tessa Jowell) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
I wish to announce the establishment of a new advisory non-departmental public body: the Legal Deposit Advisory Panel.
The Legal Deposit Advisory Panel will have a crucial role in the implementation of the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003. The key tasks of the advisory panel will be to advise the Secretary of State on the content of regulations for the deposit of particular classes of non-print media, making recommendations for future secondary legislation as appropriate. This will ensure that the substantial archival resources in the legal deposit libraries keep pace with contemporary publishing trends.
Following extensive consultation with publishers, legal deposit libraries and other interested parties we have formulated the terms of reference and membership specifications of the panel. We will now be seeking to appoint members to the panel in accordance with the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments regulations.