Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps he has taken to provide more business resources in libraries.

The Enterprising Libraries programme, a £1.2 million partnership between Arts Council England, the British Library and the Department for Communities and Local Government, is supporting local economic growth by turning libraries into spaces for the development of business ideas, providing coaching, advice, meeting spaces and IT support for local businesses and entrepreneurs. Currently sixteen public libraries in England are actively engaged in the programme and receiving financial support.

Other specific initiatives being delivered through public libraries includes the Access to Research service. This two year pilot commenced in January 2014 and provides a free service enabling local libraries to provide users with access to a wealth of research, including business information. In addition, library authorities are developing business resources to meet local needs. Staffordshire for example has introduced Start2, a service that is available in all public libraries across the county and has trained staff offering information and signposting on all aspects of looking for and finding work, including providing a starting point for entrepreneurs who want to start their own business and small enterprises looking to expand by signposting them to relevant sources of information or specialist organisations.