§ Lord Vaizeyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Why authors seeking payment under the Public Lending Right scheme have to make a statutory declaration for which a large fee is payable and not a declaration before a Peer, Member of the House of Commons, or other public person, as is customary for a passport.
§ The Earl of AvonThe Public Lending Right Act 1979 conferred a new right of personal property, established by registration, and required a scheme to be set up for making payments from public funds. It was considered desirable in the scheme to require a statutory declaration of authorship, residence and other details in order to reduce the risk of false declarations. The standard legal fee for witnessing the declaration form is £2, but no charge is made for witnessing by a justice of the peace.