Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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What does the Government have against library services? They were severely hit by cuts, including staff numbers, during the austerity years. Now, when there is talk about an improvement in the economy, one would think major improvements for library services would be lined up and yet more attacks are taking place under the new Government.

Library services are the responsibility of local authorities. Several areas are being brought together and placed under single management structures. The proposal is that Cavan and Monaghan, Laois and Offaly, Longford and Westmeath, Carlow and Kilkenny and Cork city and county, which is my area, be amalgamated. Incredibly, Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal will be lumped together under the responsibility of one authority.

Does this herald the end of local decision-making for library services? The evidence would seem to point in that direction. There are any number of things wrong with this proposal. It means that decision-making will be remote. Will a local authority which is used to making decisions for rural areas make them for urban ones or vice versa? From what I can see, no cost-benefit analysis of this hare-brained scheme was done. The suspicion is that it will be a cover for cuts. It is a very undemocratic decision and goes against the views of local councillors and library staff. I understand the committee that planned the change did not visit the areas concerned. It certainly did not visit Cork.

It is a Topical Issue today because IMPACT members who work in the library services in the areas to which I referred are engaged in a ballot which will close on 1 July. The result will be known on 4 July. I congratulate library workers for taking a stand in defence of public services and library services in their areas. What is the current plan?

3 o’clock

First, let us scrap those hare-brained proposals and, second, let us expand the library service and reinvest in it. Let us make up for the lost decade and all the cuts implemented on the library services by the previous Fine Gael-led Government and the Fianna Fáil-led Government prior to that.

Last, but by no means least, we should recruit staff to the library services. For the past ten years those who have left have not been replaced, which places an extra burden of work on the remaining staff. I spoke to a librarian in the Cork city area for approximately half an hour. He doubts there is anyone in the city's library services under the age of 34 at the moment. There are many young people who would be very good at the job so let us expand the service, recruit staff and ditch this mad scheme the Minister of State is trying to implement at the moment.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising the issue and giving me an opportunity to bring some clarity to it. Yesterday, I spoke at an event in Tullamore library. I was delighted to be present for the launch of two very important initiatives involving longer opening hours and ease of access when no staff are present. The intention is that people can access the library by means of a pincode and card, which makes it available 365 days a year for much longer hours, at weekends and on Christmas Day. Libraries are adapting and changing the way they do their business and all the staff in the libraries are to be commended on all the great work they are doing in coming up with new ideas and dealing with challenges. In recent years libraries have been restored to playing a central part of the community and they are doing a great job.

The Government is committed to driving on the process and progressing with the changes in the services offered to the public and to make library buildings more accessible to the public in terms of longer hours and the facilitation of community events. As Deputies, we attend many such events and the focal point provided by libraries is evident to us. We wish to enhance that and build on it rather than trying to reduce services on the ground. It is not correct to say that the rationale behind the shared service model will threaten the service, as that is not the case.

I understand there has been concern among some IMPACT members regarding proposed changes to public library structures. Under Opportunities for All, the national public library strategy 2013 to 2017, a review of the existing organisational structures was recommended in order to establish stronger, more effective and efficient public libraries. Following on from that, a working group was established to examine the potential for shared services in the public library service. The working group determined that the current structures in terms of organisation, workforce and service delivery were in need of reform in order for the public library service to be in a position to maximise service delivery opportunities and achieve best outcomes in terms of effectiveness, efficiency and customer service, which is what I witnessed yesterday when I visited the library in Tullamore.

The key challenge in the current structure is the need for the creation of scale for existing library authorities. In order to achieve that, the working group determined that a new shared services structure for library authorities should be established, with a minimum population target of 100,000 as an appropriate basis for determining a libraries' shared services structure. The working group's recommendations were set out in the report, Managing the Delivery of Effective Library Services. The local authorities identified for shared services are County Cavan and County Monaghan; County Laois and County Offaly; County Longford and County Westmeath; County Carlow and County Kilkenny; and County Sligo, County Roscommon and County Leitrim. It is also recommended that Cork city and County Cork, which are currently the only affiliated city and county services operating individually, should be operated as a shared service. It would appear to be common sense that such a change would happen.

There will be no closures of any libraries under the initiative but rather an enhancement of the services available in the smaller local authorities. I made the point yesterday that it is very often the case that the library is the key building in smaller towns and villages and the key focal point for the community. We wish to protect and enhance the position of libraries and safeguard them for the future. The intention is to ensure that no matter where one lives, one will be able to avail of the extensive services the libraries now offer. Earlier this year, my Department announced a €22 million capital investment programme which underpins my and the Government's commitment to the library service in Ireland. The proposed model seeks to put in place planning and implementation arrangements that will deliver more effective and efficient public libraries with a view to securing the delivery of an enhanced quality and range of services. That will ensure the long-term sustainability of the library service in those areas.

Libraries are evolving and becoming the centre for community engagement. The library service now plays a very important role in community life. In addition to what many still perceive to be the traditional preserve of the library, namely, book lending, the local library now offers so much more. It provides educational supports, community meeting facilities, business support, study spaces, and cultural and research supports, among other areas. It provides a space and a range of services that communities might not otherwise be able to access. My Department, through the new initiatives, wants to build on that and to enhance the services that already exist.

Under the proposed model, the city or county librarian would lead a central management team under the shared library management model with the establishment of a single library headquarters. The new enhanced management structure would provide a more efficient allocation of functions across senior management and enable strategic planning and a better focus on an increased range of services to the public.

In recent months my Department has been engaging with the respective local authorities to explore the implementation of the shared library management model. We are open to working with the local authorities concerned and if an alternative approach that yields the same result is suggested, we will consider it and work with the parties involved to achieve the best possible outcome for all.

Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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Sometimes I come into this place and I wonder whether the English language has any real meaning at all in here. I listened carefully to the Minister of State's reply. He said he understands there are some concerns. The Minister of State is not talking about library workers going on their tea break and saying, on balance, they think there might be some issues with his proposals. Hundreds of workers in the library services he is in charge of are balloting for industrial action due to the proposals. For the Minister of State to say he realises there is some concern is putting the situation rather mildly.

The Minister of State said the libraries are adapting to change and taking on new challenges. That is more Government-speak. If I left this place and someone were to come up to me and give me a kick in the thigh while wearing a pair of studded football boots, I would have to adapt to change and start taking on new challenges. It is not necessarily a positive thing that libraries must adapt to change when the change amounts to making the decision-making structures within the libraries far more remote and less responsive to local and community needs than was the case previously. My supplementary question is whether the Minister of State is prepared to stop this crazy plan and to recognise that given the economic recovery it is time to invest in a serious way in the public library service, in particular to start recruiting young people to it.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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I will reiterate what I said in case it is not clear enough for Deputy Barry. When I said I understand, it means I understand and am aware of the concerns of the staff involved, just as Deputy Barry does. I do not say I agree with all the concerns. I reiterate that the shared library management model is not about an amalgamation of the library service; rather it is an enhancement of the senior management structure across the designated local authorities and the library authorities. The thinking behind the model is to increase the capacity of smaller local authorities to deliver library services on a comparative basis to those in larger authorities. I accept that Deputy Barry represents parts of Cork but I represent rural areas as well as urban areas and I am always being told that people can get more in urban library services and why can people not get the same service in rural areas. Local communities want their libraries to continually expand, adapt to new realities and to provide more and better services. Such services involve providing access for students to go to libraries at weekends to do research or study because they can get WiFi there and they cannot get it down the road. That is what I mean when I refer to adapting the service. Libraries are doing that very well and I compliment all the staff on doing that. Deputy Barry should not try to mix my words when I am complimenting the work library staff are doing in delivering a local service. That is what we are trying to do - put libraries in a better position to be able to do that.

The thinking behind the model is to enhance the opportunities for access and to give a better service as well. The library service will remain the sole responsibility of the respective authority, as will the financing of those services, and each library service will be branded as it is currently. Notwithstanding that, I am aware of the concerns of IMPACT members on the proposed approach. That is the reason we are engaging with the respective authorities to explore alternative approaches that might yield the same result. We are open to other options. If Deputy Barry can make suggestions that will give the same result, we are prepared to look at them, which is a strong staffing structure with the capacity to deliver a high-quality service across the library service. That is what we are doing, and when I engage with people who work in the library service that is what they want to be part of as well. They are proud of what they do because they realise that the number of people using library services is increasing by the week and by the year. We are trying to build on that. I cannot stress sufficiently the importance of the local library. It is one of the most important assets we have in communities.