§ Mr. Lomasasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will reject the suggestion in the Baines report that libraries might possibly be grouped with recreational or amenity functions and recommend that libraries should be placed under the control of education committees.
§ Mr. Graham PageNo. The Baines report, in chapter 9, suggests that within 85W the new local authorities after reorganisation of local government, libraries, museums and art galleries should be within the responsibility of the education committee, but acknowledges, in paragraph 9.8 that some authorities might take the view that these functions could be placed under an amenities committee.
Having regard to the greater freedom to be given to the new local authorities to make their own decisions about their internal management, it is for them to adopt or reject the suggestions contained in the report.
§ Mr. Lomasasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on who is statutorily responsible for superintending the library services.
§ Mr. Graham PageStatutory responsibility for superintending the public library service provided by local authorities in England and Wales is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science under the provisions of the Public Libraries and Museums Act, 1964.