Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Fine Gael)

I welcome the publication of this Bill but I am disappointed that it took a case to the European Court of Justice for it to be produced. Certainly, in Ireland there is a rich heritage of literature, from W.B. Yeats to Oscar Wilde. More recent famous writers include Roddy Doyle and Anne Enright, who had such a great success with her book, The Gathering, in winning the Booker prize. We have a rich heritage of literature and should do all we can to protect it.

Artists and writers need recognition for the great work they do. The stories they tell brighten up people's lives and in any event they deserve a fair return for their intellectual investment. This copyright protection Bill will help to ensure that happens. In 1979 the UK Government introduced legislation which provided that an author received some compensation when his or her book was borrowed from a library.

It is disappointing that this initiative has been fomented by European legislation and that we have not introduced it previously. The Bill is obviously beneficial to authors. Public libraries certainly provide a valuable service within communities. As Deputy Finian McGrath indicated, there are some great staff in Raheny and Coolock libraries. They have projects on an ongoing basis with students from the local schools encouraged to visit the libraries. There are few better ways for youngsters to spend their time. We hear too much about anti-social behaviour plaguing communities. Given the resources available it is important that people make the fullest use of public libraries. I commend the staff of the libraries who provide such great amenities for all the youngsters and schools in my area of Dublin North-East. The Minister of State might keep in mind that libraries provide a great social contact point for communities, similar in effect to post offices around the country. We should endeavour to make more public libraries available throughout this city and country.

As regards the costs of the scheme and the backdating of royalty payments, will the Minister of State say whether the calculations will go back a number of years or will the scheme come into effect from 2009 onwards?

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