Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the impact of library closures on trends in the level of digital exclusion.

Although there have been library closures, an extensive network of libraries remains across England delivering services including digital to local residents. There has been no assessment made of the impact of library closures on trends in the level of digital exclusion. There are over 2,900 libraries across England, and while there have been closures, they continue to be a well used service, providing a trusted network of accessible locations with trained staff and volunteers, free wifi and public PCs, and assisted digital access to a wide range of digital services.

Based on a dataset of information on public libraries in England, published by Arts Council England, we estimated that around 230 static libraries have been permanently closed in the period 1 April 2010 to 31 December 2021 and have not been relocated or replaced.