Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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201. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will provide a list of the library services applying to his Department for funding for the open library initiative in 2017; the locations that were included in these applications; the amounts applied for in each application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38648/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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‘My Open Library’ is an initiative under Opportunities for All, the national public library strategy 2013-20 17 and is part of a strategy to address customer demand. It allows library members the freedom and flexibility to use the library at times that suit them. It provides additional opening hours from 8am to 10pm, seven days-per-week, ensuring access to library services for users who cannot avail of them during regular staffed hours. It is planned to extend the ‘My Open Library’ pilot to a further 23 branches from January 2017, following a successful initial trial in Tullamore, Banagher and Tubbercurry libraries from November 2014. The library branches operating the service, the indicative cost of each and the indicative Department contributions are detailed in the following table.

* The indicative amounts for Johnstown, Buncrana and Nenagh are VAT inclusive. All other allocations are net of VAT; however, the Department’s contribution will cover the VAT element.