§ Mr. CoeTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what progress he has made in creating, in consultation with local authorities, a new council to advise him on his English public library responsibilities. [18813]
§ Mr. DorrellI announced on 7 October 1994 that I would be creating a new council to advise me on my specific responsibilities for libraries in England and principally on public library issues. I also said that I would be inviting local authorities to nominate members of the council.
Consultation with the local authority associations is now complete and I am establishing the new council, to be known as the Advisory Council on Libraries. It will take over with immediate effect the statutory responsibilities set out in the 1964 Public Libraries and Museums Act. The Library and Information Services Council (England) will be dissolved.
The council will initially have 11 members, including its chairman. All members will be appointed until 31 December 1996, when arrangements will be reviewed. The first chairman will be Mr. Michael Messenger, county librarian of Hereford and Worcester. The other members will be:
- Councillor Lyn Brown—London Borough of Newham
- Councillor Chris Heinitz—Wakefield Metropolitan Council
- Councillor Elgar Jenkins—Bath District Council
- Councillor Fanny Lines—Surrey County Council
- Councillor Sally Marshall—Norfolk County Council
- Mr. Keith Crawshaw—Director of Leisure Services and Head of Libraries, Sheffield City Council
- Mr. John Hicks—County Librarian, Royal County of Berkshire Dr. Bob McKee—Director of Libraries and Arts, Solihull Metropolitan Borough
- Mr. Brian Burch—Librarian, University of Leicester
- Dr. Gillian Cross—Author
The council's terms of reference will be as follows:
To advise the Secretary of State upon such matters connected with the provision or use of library facilities as set out in Section 2 of the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964.In particular, to advise the Secretary of State on:
matters which fall directly within his responsibilities for English public libraries or which, through the direct responsibility of other Departments of Government, have a significant impact on those responsibilities;the allocation of direct grants and awards to English public libraries, or to other bodies or persons, so as to benefit and improve the provision of library facilities to members of the public;1001Wissues affecting providers and users of English public library services, and how consultation and co-operation between users and providers may be effectively promoted;which aspects of public library services in England require detailed investigation and how such aspects might be examined and debated.The council will be separate from the new Library and Information Commission, which will act as a forum for Government policy on library and information provision in general.
I am confident that, as a body in effect jointly owned by the Government and by those directly responsible for providing public library services, the advisory council will carry significant authority, and I wish it well in its work.