Jim Shannon
Main Page: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford) Public Libraries: Bournemouth East
Jim Shannon ExcerptsWestminster Hall is an alternative Chamber for MPs to hold debates, named after the adjoining Westminster Hall.
Each debate is chaired by an MP from the Panel of Chairs, rather than the Speaker or Deputy Speaker. A Government Minister will give the final speech, and no votes may be called on the debate topic.
This information is provided by Parallel Parliament and does not comprise part of the offical record
The Vice-Chamberlain of His Majesty’s Household (Sir Nicholas Dakin)
It is a joy to serve when you are chairing, Mr Turner. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Tom Hayes) on securing this debate. He reminds us of his campaign for playgrounds, and I am sure that he will continue to be equally committed to the campaign that he is on with libraries. I am pleased to respond to the debate on behalf of the Minister responsible for libraries, my noble Friend Baroness Twycross.
Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)
My Newtownards library has been allocated funding by the relevant Minister. Understanding that a warm library is a place of knowledge, friendship and community, does the Minister also agree that the benefit to communities is more than the ability to borrow a book and is in fact the ability to connect, and that that needs to be supported by all of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Sir Nicholas Dakin
I absolutely agree. The hon. Member points out and underlines the richness, to which my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East drew attention, of the role that libraries play in their communities.
My hon. Friend talked about libraries in his constituency, especially Charminster library. I want to take this opportunity to strongly agree with those of his constituents who have sung the praises of public libraries, the value of which he so ably demonstrated in his speech. It is rare to find someone who does not believe that libraries are important to their communities. It is more than 175 years since the first Public Libraries Act, in 1850, and it is fair to say that libraries look a bit different from those originally established, but I like to think that even where the technology and style of delivery have changed, an 1850s library user from “Back to the Future” would recognise the core of what libraries do—they would recognise the shelves full of books and the knowledgeable library staff. Public libraries open up opportunity by democratising access to information and knowledge. They level the playing field by providing spaces for study and reflection.