§ Miss WiddecombeTo ask the Minister for the Arts what steps he is taking to increase the funding of libraries.
§ Mr. LuceIt is the responsibility of local library authorities to decide what resources to allocate to public libraries. I hope, however, to provide new opportunities to help public libraries expand by allowing them to charge for a wider range of additional and specialised services. I shall be issuing a consultative paper on how this might best be done. In addition, as I announced in a written answer on76W 8 December, at column 952, I have set aside £250,000 a year for three years for the establishment of an incentive scheme to encourage new developments designed to extend or improve the public library service in England.