§ Mr. SpellarTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage which local authorities have agreed to participate in the pilot scheme on privatising public libraries.
§ Mr. SproatI have no current plans, and have proposed no pilot schemes, for privatising public libraries. Every local library authority is statutorily responsible for providing a comprehensive, efficient and—for the most part—free library service in its area.
As my right hon. Friend announced in reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for South Hams (Mr. Steen) on 10 November 1992, at columns 685–87, we are examining the scope for contracting out the actual delivery of all or some aspects of the public library service. I propose as part of this examination to use as pilot projects some of the various models for specifying and contracting for library services which library authorities are themselves currently investigating.
From those initially expressing interest, my Department has invited the following authorities to be involved in the exercise on this basis: Bromley; Cambridgeshire; Hereford and Worcester; Kent; Lincolnshire and Birmingham Libraries Co-operative Mechanisation Project—a co-operative group including several library authorities. Discussions with these authorities are continuing—though Bromley has indicated that it no longer wishes to proceed with its proposed project, and has consequently withdrawn its interest. It may be that other authorities and projects will be added before the overall coverage of the exercise is finalised.