The Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 makes it a duty for the Welsh Government—

You'll need to ask the question on the order paper first. 

I will. Thank you. And I'll come to that secondarily. 

Okay.

4. How is the Welsh Government supporting the future of public libraries in Islwyn? OQ59143

Local authorities are responsible for the provision of a library service. The Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 requires authorities to provide a comprehensive and efficient service. The Welsh Government supports local library provision through a capital grant fund and by investing in developing innovative services for local communities. 

Thank you, and I'll turn to my supplementary question. The Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 makes it a duty for the Welsh Government

'to superintend, and promote the improvement of, the public library service provided by local authorities...and to secure the proper discharge...of the functions in relation to libraries conferred on them as library authorities' under the Act. Minister, in Islwyn in 2023, libraries continue to play a significant role at the heart of communities in Wales. This week, Newbridge library, on Monday, held an innovative session where a toddlers group was joined by individuals from Memory Lane, thanks to the Royal Voluntary Service, Dementia UK and Dementia Friends. Inter-generations joined together in one space, where community ties are built and strengthened, and throughout the Caerphilly County Borough Council area libraries are being utilised as welcoming spaces, warm hubs and places of cultural community. Minister, how can the Welsh Government continue to support, promote and encourage adults and children to make full use of the library services throughout the communities of Islwyn?

It was lovely to hear those examples of the ways in which libraries in Islwyn are innovating, and I’m aware of some other examples as well locally in your area, including a knit and natter group, toddler time, a Lego club, and Blind Date With A Book, in celebration of Valentine’s Day, and they have that in my own library as well, and I thought that was a particularly lovely idea.

Obviously, libraries in Islwyn are really playing an important part in being those warm hubs for communities as well, and they will take part in the nationally recognised Bookstart, an early years scheme, which provides free material and information for parents and toddlers at the nine- and 18-month health check. So, libraries are playing an absolutely critical role in our lives across all of the generations. So, thank you to those libraries in Islwyn, which are doing such a fantastic job there.

I think it’s important as well for us to all be evangelical about libraries, because, if people haven’t been to a library lately, they’re going to go in and be very surprised. They’re nothing like perhaps we remember from younger days, so there’s a lot going on, and I think they are absolutely hubs of the community now, so I completely want to celebrate libraries at every opportunity we get.

Thank you. I find myself in complete agreement with the Member from Islwyn and the Minister on this one. Public libraries provide positive outcomes for people and communities in a variety of ways, beyond simply providing access to books, as you’ve already outlined. They contribute to the formation of human capital and maintenance of mental and physical well-being, social inclusivity and community cohesion as well, of course, as educating and providing books for those who can’t afford them—particularly important when we see that a massive 44 per cent of pupils rarely or never read books, which is far higher than in other parts of the UK. Yet Caerphilly council are cutting library funding by 20 per cent; Monmouthshire County Council are cutting funding for new library books by 50 per cent. So, what action are you taking and financial help are you giving our local authorities to ensure that these vital libraries are kept open and well used?

So, the majority of the Welsh Government’s financial support for public libraries is distributed through the local government core settlement, which colleagues will remember is uplifted by 7.9 per cent in our budget for next year. No authority will see an increase of less than 6.5 per cent. There are other sources of funding that are important, however, including the capital transformation fund for museums, archives and libraries, and the funding that we’re providing for the digital library service, which is also an important investment in terms of making sure that our libraries are fit for the future.

Any potential budget cuts to library services will need to be monitored by officials in the culture division in Dawn Bowden’s portfolio to ensure that public libraries meet statutory requirements. Local authorities must demonstrate that any service reductions will not impair their ability to comply with their statutory responsibilities and those discussions are ongoing between culture division officials and the library sector to develop a seventh Welsh public library standards framework, but, in the meantime, services are continuing to operate under framework 6.