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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many public libraries there are in the UK, and how many there were in 2010.

Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service that takes account of local needs within available resources. Statistics for the number of public libraries published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy do not include figures for Northern Ireland, so it is not possible to provide the number of public libraries in the UK. However, in the rest of the country, the total number of public library service points open ten hours or more per week at 31 March 2015 was 3,917, compared with 4,356 in 2010. Based on desk research undertaken by the Department, we estimate that from January 2010 to January 2016 only approximately 110 static public libraries in England closed. Government has the power to ensure public libraries comply with the law, and where individual authorities have failed to meet this duty we will - and have - intervened.

This Government is helping libraries innovate, to ensure they serve the needs of local communities - particularly through the expansion of their digital offer. In the latest spending round we secured extra funding for our Libraries Task Force, set up in 2014, to promote the role of digital and share best practice between councils, and we have funded the rollout of free Wi-Fi in 99% of public libraries in England. E-book loans have rocketed more than four-fold from nearly 445,000 in 2011/12 to over 2.3 million in 2014/15.