asked the Minister for the Arts if he will give the total number of books held in public libraries in England and Wales for 1960, 1965, 1970, 1975, 1980 and 1985; and if he will make a statement.
No statistics are available for 1960. Approximate figures for England and Wales for subsequent years, as published by CIPFA, are as follows:
| million | |
| 1965 | 71·7 |
| 1970 | 97·7 |
| 1975 | 77·8 |
| 1980 | 118·0 |
| 1985 | 1121·2 |
| 1 Figures adjusted to include data from some authorities which did not render returns to CIPFA. | |
asked the Minister for the Arts what representations he has had about possible initiatives to increase the number of people using the public library service.
None.
asked the Minister for the Arts what estimate he has of the growth in service points in public libraries in the 10 year period to 1984–85.
Statistics published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy show an increase in the total number of service points in England from 9,720 in 1975 to 15,238 in 1985.