§ Mr. Fisherasked the Under-Secretary of State answering in respect of the Arts by how much actual expenditure on books by public libraries has declined in real terms in each of the last five years (a) nationally, (b) in shire counties and (c) in London boroughs.
§ Mr. WaldegraveFigures for actual expenditure on all elements of public library expenditure are collected by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy and published in its "Public Library Statistics" series, which is available in the Library of the House. There is no agreed index of public library book prices, which would be needed to convert the expenditure data to real terms, but the published figures show the total number of volumes purchased by each authority.
§ Mr. Fisherasked the Under Secretary of State answering in respect of the Arts how many books were loaned by public libraries in each of the past 10 years.
§ Mr. WaldegraveInformation about public library lending is collected annually by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, and published in its "Public Library Statistics" series, which is available in the Library of the House. Comparisons between years may be affected by the different numbers of authorities responding to the CIPFA survey.
§ Mr. Fisherasked the Under-Secretary of State answering in respect of the Arts what percentage of total expenditure is made by public libraries on (a) books, (b) other resources, (c) administration and (d) librarians.
§ Mr. WaldegraveDetailed information about the various elements of local library expenditure is collected annually by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, and published in its "Public Library Statistics" series which is available in the Library of the House. The 1983–84 Estimates volume shows the proportions of estimated expenditure attributed to various components.
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§ Mr. Fisherasked the Under-Secretary of State answering in respect of the Arts how many public libraries have installed Prestel; and what percentage of public libraries this represents.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThis information is not centrally available.
§ Mr. Fisherasked the Under-Secretary of State answering in respect of the Arts at what level is the national book stock.
§ Mr. WaldegraveOn the latest date for which figures are available, local public libraries in England had bookstocks totalling over 110 million volumes, and the British Library some 13 million volumes.
§ Mr. Fisherasked the Under-Secretary of State answering in respect of the Arts how many professional staff are employed in public libraries; and how this compares with each of the past 10 years.
§ Mr. WaldegraveNumbers of professional staff employed in public libraries are collected annually by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy and published in its "Public Library Statistics" series, which is available in the Library of the House. Comparisons between years may be affected by the different numbers of authorities responding to the CIPFA survey.
§ Mr. Fisherasked the Under-Secretary of State answering in respect of the Arts what has been the expenditure on public libraries in each of the past 10 years.
§ Mr. WaldegraveCurrent and capital expenditure on public library services in England over the relevant period was as follows:
Year £ million 1973–74 87 1974–75 114 1975–76 141 1976–77 154 1977–78 166 1978–79 183 1979–80 214 1980–81 256 1981–82 278 1982–83 *326 * Estimated Outturn.
§ Mr. Fisherasked the Under-Secretary of State answering in respect of the Arts what demand he anticipates for trained public librarians in the next five years.
§ Mr. WaldegravePublic librarians are employed by local library authorities. Information about authorities' plans for employment in future years is not centrally collected.