The text on this page has been created from Hansard archive content, it may contain typographical errors.
Mrs. Dunwoody
To ask the Minister for the Arts what was the expenditure of public libraries in Cheshire on book provision for the last 10 years at constant prices.
Mr. Renton
Statistics about the public library service are collected and published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy. Real terms costs in Cheshire for the 10-year period up to 1990, the latest date for which figures are available, are:
| Year | Expenditure on books per 1,000 population £ |
| 1980–81 | 1,205 |
| 1981–82 | 1,298 |
| 1982–83 | 1,318 |
| 1983–84 | 1,377 |
| 1984–85 | 1,204 |
| 1985–86 | 1,367 |
| 1986–87 | 1,291 |
| 1987–88 | 1,479 |
| 1988–89 | 1,324 |
| 1989–90 | 1,362 |
Mrs. Dunwoody
To ask the Minister for the Arts how many librarians were employed by Cheshire county council on (a) a full-time basis and (b) a part-time basis in 1979 and 1991.
Mr. Renton
This information is not available. However, staff numbers in English library authorities as a whole have remained constant over the last 10 years.