Mr. De la Bèreasked the Minister of Education whether, in view of the MeColvin Report for the Library Association, which was presented in September, 1942, and which contained the results of a survey, together with a series of far-reaching recommendations under the title of The Public Library System of Great Britain, she has any statement to make as to the postwar development of the public library service.
§ Miss WilkinsonI have - read the MeColvin Report with considerable interest, and I am in sympathy with much that the Report recommends. I am well aware of the vital part which a public library service should play throughout the educational field and I have already taken steps to secure a closer link between the public library and education services. The hon. Member, however, will appreciate that my powers are very limited under existing legislation. Any attempt to implement the main recommendations of the Report would involve fundamental and far-reaching administrative changes requiring legislation. In view of the pressure of public business, I doubt if I could advise the Government to embark upon this task in the immediate future.