§ Mr. Home RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the Government's response to the recent report on public library provision in rural Scotland; and if he will introduce a rural public library incentive scheme to help local authorities to develop the service and meet new demands.
§ Mr. LangMy officials recently met representatives of the Scottish Library Association and the Library and Information Services Committee (Scotland) for which the report was prepared. I shall consider the report's recommendation for a rural public library incentive scheme in the light of an evaluation of a comparable784W initiative in England, and other relevant factors. The report also calls for action by rural library authorities to improve services to meet the needs of rural communities.