§ Mr. Fowlerasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will make a statement about the future of the Polish Library in London.
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§ Mr. Goronwy RobertsI am glad to say that, as a result of discussions between the Polish Social and Cultural Association and the governing body of the University of London School of Slavonic and East European Studies, an agreement has been reached which, coupled with the efforts of the Polish Library Council to secure contributions towards the upkeep of the Library, gives grounds for every confidence that the Library will be able to continue to serve the needs of the Polish community and of scholarship and research in Polish studies. Accordingly, I have written to the Chairman of the Polish Social and Cultural Association conveying the Government's agreement to the ownership of the contents of the Library being vested in the Association with effect from 1st August next.
The agreement provides for the School's making an annual grant of £2,500 towards the salaries of the Library staff; for the School to nominate a representative to the governing body of the Library; and for safeguards in the event either of the Library ceasing to be available to the students and staff of the School or of its governing body deciding to dispose of part of its contents. The agreement is, in the first place, for five years from 1st August, but it will be reviewed towards the end of the period and will, I hope, form the basis for a long-term association between the Polish Library and the University of London.