At Autumn Budget 2021, the Government announced that it will continue to explore the arguments for and against an Online Sales Tax (OST), the revenue from which would be used to provide business rates relief for in-store retail. The consultation will launch shortly.

No decisions on whether to proceed with an OST have yet been made. It is the Government’s intention to use the forthcoming consultation to consider in detail the issues surrounding proposals for an OST. This will include exploring the range of products, both physical and digital, which are sold online, including books.

My Lords, we will use information on pupils’ nationality and country of birth to understand how we can give all pupils a better education that caters to their individual needs. If there are people whose first language is not English, we will be able to see how well they are doing and how we can help their school to contribute meaningfully to raising pupils’ outcomes. These new data are solely for the DfE to use in research, statistics and analysis.

My Lords, the Government are conducting a review of business rates in response to concerns that the system is in need of reform. The system should be fit for a 21st-century economy, and that is why the review, which will conclude at the Budget, is looking at all aspects of the system, including reliefs and exemptions. We recognise the important contributions that the arts and museums make to the culture of the UK, education and the economy.

The level of investment referred to grant in aid and projected Lottery resources available to Arts Council England between 2010 and 2015, as set out in the following table.

Includes Arts Programme, administration and capital funding. Excludes Museums Programme administration and capital funding; re-structuring costs in 2012-13; and funding from Department for Education for cultural education programmes.^** Invested by Arts Council England (ACE) from the National Lottery Distribution Fund. Outturn is actual Lottery income. Projected net cash is current projected Lottery income. These figures do not include funds transferred from ACE to the Olympic and Paralympic Games.^*** Following the Autumn Statement announcement, Arts Council England grant-in-aid will be reduced by £3.864 million in 2013-14 and £8.693 million in 2014-15. No reduction has been applied to the figures in the table above for 2013-14 and 2014-15. It will be for the Arts Council to determine how the cut is applied to its activities.

Local authorities have to make difficult decisions on behalf of local taxpayers about how to deploy their budget. Sustained investment in culture has made Newcastle a centre of culture, contributing to the regional economy and quality of life. This Government are working hard to safeguard our arts infrastructure in a difficult spending review settlement where we have limited cuts to protect front-line

organisations. We have increased the arts’ share of lottery proceeds from 16% to 20% and invested £100 million in helping arts organisations increase their fundraising capability, including organisations in the north-east.

Central government do not produce data on the number of public libraries that have been closed or opened each year. Data about the public library sector are published annually by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA). Their annual statistics do not provide the number of openings or closures, or the number of libraries that have transferred from the public library service to community-management; but instead show the net figure of public libraries open in each year.

Data showing the number of public library service points in England, in each available year since 1979-80, are set out in the table below.

Where information has not been supplied by authorities for CIPFA’s Public Library Statistics, the figures have been grossed by CIPFA to account for missing data and-or non-responding authorities.

Central government do not produce data on the number of public libraries that have been closed or opened each year. Data about the public library sector are published annually by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA). Their annual statistics do not provide the number of openings or closures, or the number of libraries that have transferred from the public library service to community-management; but instead show the net figure of public libraries open in each year.

Data showing the number of public library service points in England, in each available year since 1979-80, are set out in the table below.

Where information has not been supplied by authorities for CIPFA’s Public Library Statistics, the figures have been grossed by CIPFA to account for missing data and-or non-responding authorities.