Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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547. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his Department's proposals to amalgamate the library services in Cork city and County Cork; the discussions that have taken place with service users, and staff members and their representatives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3807/15]

Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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548. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his Department's proposals to amalgamate the library services in counties Sligo, Roscommon and Leitrim; the discussions that have taken place with service users, and staff members and their representatives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3808/15]

Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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549. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his Department's proposals to amalgamate the library services in counties Cavan and Monaghan; the discussions that have taken place with service users, and staff members and their representatives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3809/15]

Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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550. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his Department's proposals to amalgamate the library services in counties Carlow and Kilkenny; the discussions that have taken place with service users and staff members and their representatives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3810/15]

Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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551. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his Department's proposals to amalgamate the library services in counties Longford and Westmeath; the discussions that have taken place with service users, and staff members and their representatives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3811/15]

Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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552. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his Department's proposals to amalgamate the library services in counties Laois and Offaly; the discussions that have taken place with service users, and staff members and their representatives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3812/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 547 to 552, inclusive, together.

I refer to the reply to Question No. 557 of 20 January 2015 which sets out the position in this matter.

Senior management in local authorities and library service managers have been consulted throughout the process. Consultations with unions have taken place from the initial stages of the review and are ongoing. The report, Managing the Delivery of Effective Library Services, identifies the strong staffing structure necessary to deliver the services and provides the commitment to implement this across the country.

The report implements government policy under the new national public library strategy 2013-2017, Opportunities for All.  The development of the national strategy involved wide consultation with library users of all ages and all other public library stakeholders, as well as formal national public consultation. Managing the Delivery of Effective Library Servicesseeks to establish stronger, more effective and efficient public libraries and deliver better library services to local communities and citizens, with front-line service continuing to be locally focused and people-centred, and presents opportunities for enhanced individual and community support services and engagement, with no detriment to library services. Against that background, and as the policies, priorities and budgets for library services in each local authority remain the responsibility of the elected members, no separate national consultations were undertaken in the development of this report.