Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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222. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the cuts in funding to the State's public library services by local authorities in each of the past five years in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29357/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Under section 78 of the Local Government Act 2001, the provision and management of library services is a matter for each local authority in its capacity as a library authority. Accordingly, expenditure on library services is a matter for each local authority. My Department has no direct role in these matters.

However, information is compiled by the Department on annual budgets and expenditure by local authorities, which includes a breakdown for library and archive services. Data for the period 2011 to 2015 is detailed in the following table.

My Department provides capital funding each year for the development of new library projects by local authorities. Some €22m will be provided for this purpose through the Libraries Capital Investment Programme for the period 2016 to 2021, with €2.75m to be provided nationally this year. In addition, limited funding is available to support local authorities in meeting the costs associated with libraries including the costs of operating from leased premises; in 2016, approximately €1m nationally is provided for this purpose.

Funding provided directly by my Department to support the development and operation of library services by local authorities from 2011 to 2015 is set out in the following table.