Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to prevent the closure of public libraries.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Arts Council England (ACE) collects and publishes data on library closures, openings and relocations in its annual English Public Libraries Location Dataset. The dataset can be found at the following link: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/supporting-arts-museums-and-libraries/supporting-libraries
Based upon this data set for 2024 DCMS estimates the number of static libraries that permanently closed (and were not replaced by or relocated to a new static library) in England in 2024 was 17. The 2025 basic library dataset is expected to be published later this year and the 2026 dataset in due course.
The Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 requires all local authorities in England to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service, however decisions about library services are a matter for local library authorities. They are responsible for assessing the needs of their local communities and designing a library service to meet those needs within available resources.
Public libraries are funded through the Local Government Finance Settlement, the majority of which, including for libraries, is unringfenced, recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities.
In January 2026, the Secretary of State announced a further £27.5 million for Libraries Improvement Fund which supports public libraries to upgrade their buildings and technology to meet changing needs to better serve their communities.
The government will be publishing a new strategy for public libraries in England later this year.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many public libraries have closed (1) in 2024, (2) in 2025, and (3) to date in 2026.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Arts Council England (ACE) collects and publishes data on library closures, openings and relocations in its annual English Public Libraries Location Dataset. The dataset can be found at the following link: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/supporting-arts-museums-and-libraries/supporting-libraries
Based upon this data set for 2024 DCMS estimates the number of static libraries that permanently closed (and were not replaced by or relocated to a new static library) in England in 2024 was 17. The 2025 basic library dataset is expected to be published later this year and the 2026 dataset in due course.
The Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 requires all local authorities in England to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service, however decisions about library services are a matter for local library authorities. They are responsible for assessing the needs of their local communities and designing a library service to meet those needs within available resources.
Public libraries are funded through the Local Government Finance Settlement, the majority of which, including for libraries, is unringfenced, recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities.
In January 2026, the Secretary of State announced a further £27.5 million for Libraries Improvement Fund which supports public libraries to upgrade their buildings and technology to meet changing needs to better serve their communities.
The government will be publishing a new strategy for public libraries in England later this year.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to promote the opening of new public libraries.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Arts Council England (ACE) collects and publishes data on library closures, openings and relocations in its annual English Public Libraries Location Dataset. The dataset can be found at the following link: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/supporting-arts-museums-and-libraries/supporting-libraries
Based upon this data set for 2024 DCMS estimates the number of static libraries that permanently closed (and were not replaced by or relocated to a new static library) in England in 2024 was 17. The 2025 basic library dataset is expected to be published later this year and the 2026 dataset in due course.
The Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 requires all local authorities in England to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service, however decisions about library services are a matter for local library authorities. They are responsible for assessing the needs of their local communities and designing a library service to meet those needs within available resources.
Public libraries are funded through the Local Government Finance Settlement, the majority of which, including for libraries, is unringfenced, recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities.
In January 2026, the Secretary of State announced a further £27.5 million for Libraries Improvement Fund which supports public libraries to upgrade their buildings and technology to meet changing needs to better serve their communities.
The government will be publishing a new strategy for public libraries in England later this year.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of how many youth clubs have closed in the past 10 years.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Government does not centrally collect data on total youth club closures. However, YMCA research indicates that the number of local authority-run youth centres in England fell from 860 in 2011-12 to 379 in 2024-25.
We are committed to securing a bright future for our youth clubs, and in December 2025, DCMS launched the “Youth Matters: Your National Youth Strategy” 10 year plan. This strategy will ensure every young person across the country has somewhere to go, someone who cares for them and a community they feel part of. It is funded by over £500 million from DCMS for fulfilling things to do outside of school, support when and where young people need it, and more youth clubs and trusted adults. This includes £350 million to refurbish or build up to 250 youth facilities through our Better Youth Spaces programme.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure local libraries are protected from any reductions in spending; and what encouragement they will give to local authorities to protect such libraries.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)
The Local Government Finance Settlement for 2022/23 makes available £54.1 billion for local government in England, an increase of up to £3.7 billion on 2021/22. The majority of this funding is not ring-fenced, including funding of library services, in recognition of local authorities being best placed to understand local priorities and needs.
Local authorities in England have a statutory duty to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service which meets local needs. It is for each local authority to consider how best to deliver this statutory duty within available resources.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many insurance payouts are made annually from the cyber liability insurance scheme.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)
This information is not held by the government. The insurance scheme referred to is a commercial arrangement between organisations with a Cyber Essentials certificate and IASME, the operators of the scheme.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many organisations are certified under the Cyber Essentials or Cyber Essentials Plus schemes.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)
At the end of August 2021, 75,237 Cyber Essentials certificates had been awarded to organisations in the UK. Of these, 61,481 certificates were awarded at Cyber Essentials level and 13,756 were awarded at Cyber Essentials Plus level.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government where the money is directed if a company is fined for failing to report a data breach of personal information to the Information Commissioner's Office.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)
Any monetary penalty issued by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is paid into the HM Treasury Consolidated Fund and is not retained by the ICO.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to provide funding for, and (2) to further the work of, the Future News Pilot Fund.
Answered by Baroness Barran
The government invested £2 million in the pilot Future News Fund, which sought to invest in new technological prototypes, start-ups and innovative business models to explore new ways of sustaining public interest news in a changing landscape. The pilot received 178 applications and grants were awarded to 19 projects.
The pilot fund came to an end in June 2020. We are considering options for taking forward innovation funding, building on the model set by the Future News Fund pilot and taking into account Nesta’s independent evaluation, sector feedback, and the changing landscape as a result of Covid-19.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish an online media literacy strategy.
Answered by Baroness Barran
The Full Government Response to the Online Harms White Paper Consultation, published last December, confirmed our commitment to publish an Online Media Literacy Strategy. The Strategy will explore the media literacy landscape and ensure a strategic and coordinated approach to media literacy activity. The Strategy will further help support users with the skill and knowledge they need to make informed and safer choices online.The Strategy will be published later this year.