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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2015 to Question 223186, if he will make an assessment of the accuracy of statistics published by Public Libraries News on library closures and libraries transferred to volunteers.

The DCMS has no plans to make an assessment of the accuracy of statistics published by Public Libraries News on library closures and libraries transferred to volunteers. The summary statistics published by Public Libraries News relate to public libraries throughout the United Kingdom. The remit of the DCMS, however, is to superintend and promote the improvement of libraries in England.