Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many public libraries in Ashfield constituency do not have free wifi; and by what date he plans that all public libraries will have access to free wifi.

Following the Ashfield (Electoral Changes) Order 2015 (Statutory Instrument 2015: No. 112), my Department estimates that one public library in the constituency does not currently have WiFi. On 18 March it was announced, as part of the Budget 2015, that £7.4m is being made available to help all public libraries to install WiFi. This programme will be run via Arts Council England who aim to launch the scheme in July 2015.