Consultation on technical amendments to the Public Lending Right Scheme: 2023
Updated 6 October 2023
© Crown copyright 2023
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-technical-amendments-to-the-public-lending-right-scheme-2023/consultation-on-technical-amendments-to-the-public-lending-right-scheme-2023
1. Summary
The Public Lending Right (PLR) is the right for eligible authors, illustrators, narrators and other book contributors to receive payment for the loans of their books by public libraries in the UK. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has been engaging with the British Library, which manages the PLR Scheme, about changes that would help to improve the administration of the Scheme, and intends to make some technical amendments to the Scheme’s provisions to implement these changes.
This consultation therefore seeks views on proposed amendments to the PLR Scheme in order to:
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Amend the Scheme so that it is less prescriptive regarding designation of sampling points, enabling the British Library to increase the sample size with the option to move to collecting comprehensive loans data from all library authorities in the UK.
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Remove the requirement, in certain circumstances, for an application for registration of a posthumously eligible book to be made by the deceased author’s personal representatives. This means a person registering books for the first time after inheriting from a deceased author may not need to have a solicitor/executor involved in making the application, providing for a more efficient and less burdensome administration process.
2. Background to the Public Lending Right
The Public Lending Right Act 1979 (“the PLR Act 1979”) provides a right, known as the “Public Lending Right” (PLR), for authors and other eligible rights holders to receive payments from a central fund in respect of such of their books as are lent out to the public by local library authorities in the United Kingdom. The classes, descriptions and categories of books to which the PLR applies, the persons eligible for payments in respect of it, and the amounts of those payments, are determined in accordance with the PLR Scheme made by the Secretary of State under the PLR Act 1979, and brought into force by statutory instrument (the Public Lending Right Scheme 1982 (Commencement) Order 1982).
Since the introduction of the PLR Scheme a number of amendments and extensions to the Scheme have been introduced:
- 2014: inclusion of audiobooks
- 2015: inclusion of on-site loans of e-books and e-audiobooks in public libraries
- 2018: inclusion of remote loans of e-books from public libraries in England, Scotland and Wales
- 2018: amendments to ensure authors resident in the United Kingdom continued to be eligible to register for the Public Lending Right, following the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, and the removal of the certification requirement for authors registering for PLR for the first time, including first time posthumous applications
- 2021: inclusion of remote loans of e-books from public libraries in Northern Ireland
The PLR Scheme has been managed by the British Library Board since 1 October 2013. It is grant funded for this function by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. PLR payments are made annually by the British Library to eligible authors who register their books with the British Library’s PLR Office. Authors resident in the UK or European Economic Area are eligible to apply for registration in respect of eligible works. A register of eligible authors and books is maintained by the PLR office.
The amounts paid to authors in respect of each financial year are currently calculated on the basis of loans data collected from a sample of public library authorities in the UK in the Scheme year (1 July to 30 June) which ended in that financial year. These “sampling points” are designated by the British Library in accordance with requirements specified in the Scheme, including that at least seven sampling points must be replaced in each year. The loans data obtained from this sample is then ‘grossed up’ through calculations by the British Library PLR Office in accordance with the provisions of the Scheme, to provide a national estimate for the loans of each eligible book in that year (the number of “notional loans”).
Each year, over 20,000 writers and other rights holders (such as illustrators, photographers, narrators, producers, abridgers, translators and editors) who have contributed to books lent out by public libraries in the UK receive PLR payments - in total, just over £6 million is distributed each year. A maximum payment threshold per author of £6,600 applies and the minimum payment is £1.
For the PLR Scheme year from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022, over 2,000 authors and other contributors registered for PLR for the first time and the PLR Office collected data on over 32.62 million loans from the 36 library authorities that took part in the sample.
3. Proposed amendments to the PLR Scheme
3.1 Amend the PLR Scheme so that it is less prescriptive regarding designation of sampling points, enabling the British Library to increase the sample size with the option to move to collecting comprehensive loans data from all library authorities in the UK
The PLR Scheme currently specifies that the number of loans is to be ascertained by means of a sample and prescribes the designation and rotation of sampling points (i.e. the number of sampling points and how they are spread across the different regions, or “groups”, in the United Kingdom). During each sampling year at least seven out of the 30 operative sampling points are required to be replaced, and no operative sampling point is allowed to remain for a continuous period of more than 4 years unless it is in Northern Ireland.
The Scheme provides that the total number of notional loans of a book is the aggregate of the number of notional loans of the book in each group. The number of notional loans of a book in a group is determined by ‘grossing up’ the actual loans data obtained from the sampling points in that group, using the total number of loans of all books from all public libraries in that group in the financial year ending in the relevant Scheme year. This figure is currently obtained from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) who request library data, including the loan of books, from local authorities in Great Britain on an annual basis. Equivalent figures for Northern Ireland are provided directly from the Northern Ireland Library Authority.
There are increasing challenges in securing reliable and accurate annual national library loans data. The response from local authorities to CIPFA’s annual library questionnaire has fallen from a rate of 92% in 2013/14 to around 45% in 2021/22. While the British Library previously used historical data to estimate the missing data, the extent of the fall in response rates has meant this is no longer viable, so it has become necessary for the British Library to move to requesting notional loans figures directly from library authorities.
Should the current approach remain, the grossing up process carries a risk of becoming less representative as it is dependent on the accuracy of the national loans information from CIPFA’s annual public libraries statistics.
In addition, the British Library expects that it will become increasingly difficult to select operative sampling points to meet the legislative requirement for rotation, due to the increase in the number of consortia and the move towards national library management systems, as in the case of Wales. Also, currently different approaches to the collection of book loans data are used in different parts of the UK. Actual book loans data is collected for Northern Ireland, but only a sample of book loans is collected from local authorities for the rest of the UK.
Amending the Scheme to enable the British Library to move towards collecting actual book loans data from all local authorities in the UK, will help to ensure that the calculation of PLR payments is based on consistent, comprehensive, accurate and timely book loans data. This change will provide access to more accurate national book loans data, enabling more accurate and representative calculations, more consistent earnings for local interest authors and more robust data with better insights for libraries and authors.
It is proposed that these changes would be achieved primarily by amending article 38(2) of the Scheme to remove sub-paragraph (f) (which requires 7 operative sampling points to be replaced each year) and sub-paragraph (g) (which prevents any sampling point from remaining operative for a continuous period of more than 4 years). In addition, amendments would be made to other articles (such as articles 37 and 42) to make clear that, where the British Library has collected complete loans data for a particular group, the grossing up process does not need to be followed to ascertain the number of notional loans of a book in that group. In addition, it is proposed to amend the definition of “C” in article 42(2) for the purposes of the formula in that provision, This will allow the British Library to carry out the grossing up process in relation to a group using the figure for the total number of loans in that group over the Scheme year in question (1 July to 30 June) rather than the financial year (1 April to 31 March) ending in that Scheme year, where the British Library has that figure for the Scheme year.
3.2 To remove the requirement, in certain circumstances, for an application for registration of a posthumously eligible book to be made by the author’s personal representatives.
PLR in respect of a book of a deceased author (or other rights holder) may only be registered posthumously where the author had registered PLR in respect of at least one book during their lifetime. Posthumous applications to register new titles can only be accepted if the book was published within one year before, or up to ten years after, the date of the author’s death. New editions of existing registered books can be added at any time during the life of PLR (up to seventy years after the author’s death).
In 2018 the Scheme was amended to remove an outdated and unnecessary certification requirement for authors when first registering for PLR, including in the case of posthumous registration.
This further proposed change will, in certain cases, remove the requirement for an application for registration of a posthumously eligible book to be made by the personal representatives of the deceased author. The exemption will apply where the person making the application is already the registered owner of the PLR interest in one or more of the deceased author’s books and, when the PLR interest in respect of those books was transferred to the person, the deceased author’s personal representatives gave a declaration confirming that they were not aware of any other person who might be entitled to ownership of the PLR interest in respect of any posthumously eligible books of the author, in the event of a future application for registration being made.
When an application is made following an author’s death for their PLR interest to be transferred to another person, the Scheme requires the author’s personal representatives to provide the documentation evidencing their authority to deal with author’s estate (such as the probate, letters of administration, or confirmation of executors), and to confirm to whom the interest should be transferred. It is therefore unnecessary, when the same person wishes to register a posthumously eligible book by the same author, for the personal representatives to be involved in the process, provided that they have confirmed at the time of the previous transfer that no other person would be entitled to ownership of the PLR interest in respect of any posthumously eligible books of the same author that might be registered in future. An applicant seeking to register the PLR in respect of a posthumously eligible book will still be required to provide a statement confirming that the conditions of eligibility are satisfied (including that the deceased author is a posthumously eligible person, and that the book was published within one year before or ten years after the author’s death).
This change is being made to remove unnecessary and burdensome administration for the British Library and eligible applicants. The proposed change should provide a more efficient process in cases where the British Library already has sufficient information to be satisfied that the applicant is entitled to the PLR interest in the posthumously eligible book.
In order to achieve this change, it is proposed that a new article would be inserted into the Scheme, and amendments would be needed to existing articles 9, 14A and 17B. The new article would set out the circumstances in which an application for registration in respect of a posthumously eligible book does not have to comply with the usual requirements under articles 14A and 17B. Those circumstances are where:
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the PLR interest of a deceased author (or other rights holder) has been transferred by their personal representatives to one or more persons (“the relevant transferees”) in accordance with articles 26 and 27, and
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the personal representatives gave a declaration, when the transfer was made, in the form required by the Board, confirming that they were not aware of any person other than the relevant transferees who would be entitled to the PLR interest in respect of any posthumously eligible books of the deceased author, should an application for registration of such a book be made in future.
The new article would also set out the requirements for registration which would apply in these cases, in place of those in articles 14A and 17B. The applicant would be required to provide:
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the information set out in paragraphs 1 to 4 of Part 1 of Schedule 1 to the Scheme (other than the address specified in paragraph 3) and
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a statement that the conditions as to eligibility specified in articles 5A and 6A are satisfied
Articles 9, 14A and 17B would be amended to make clear that an application made in accordance with the new article is not required to comply with articles 14A and 17B.
We would also take the opportunity to correct an erroneous cross-reference in article 14A(a), which incorrectly refers to “the address specified in paragraph 4” of Schedule 1, Part 1, where it should refer to paragraph 3.
4. Consultation
This consultation is seeking views on two technical changes to the PLR Scheme operation. The first proposed change is to amend the Scheme so that it is less prescriptive regarding designation of sampling points, enabling the British Library, working with the library sector, to increase the sample size with the option to move to collecting comprehensive loans data from all library authorities in the UK. The second proposed change is to remove the requirement, in certain circumstances, for an application for registration of a posthumously eligible book to be made by the deceased author’s personal representatives.
The proposed changes to the Scheme will enable its continued fair and effective administration and increase resilience to external factors such as changes within the library sector or unforeseen events impacting society more widely e.g. the lockdowns in response to covid-19 in recent years. These changes will provide benefits to users of the Scheme, as well as public libraries, the wider library sector and the British Library.
The consultation contains specific core questions relating to the proposed changes, as well as a number of questions to identify the impact of each of the changes. The consultation is interested in evidence or views on the benefits, possible disbenefits, potential costs and possible burdens, so we are keen these impact questions are addressed as fully as possible. The impact questions are contained at Annex A - C, and respondents are advised to only answer questions relevant to them as individuals or to their organisation. In addition, if replying to Annex A on behalf of a local authority, respondents should be aware that PLR legislation allows for reimbursement of reasonable costs incurred while part of the PLR sample.
Core questions
This consultation is seeking views on the proposed amendment to the Public Lending Right Scheme so that it is less prescriptive regarding designation of sampling points, enabling the British Library to increase the sample size with the option to move to collecting comprehensive loans data from all library authorities in the UK.
Q4.1 To what extent do you agree or disagree with this proposed change to PLR sampling requirements?
☐ Strongly disagree
☐ Somewhat disagree
☐ Neither agree or disagree
☐ Somewhat agree
☐ Strongly agree
☐ Don’t know
Please provide any reasons for your answer. (500 character limit)
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Q4.2 Do you have any other proposals as to how accurate book lending data from UK public libraries could be obtained for the purpose of calculating the PLR payments due to authors and other contributors?
☐ Yes
☐ No
If Yes, please provide details of your proposed option. (500-character limit)
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________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
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This consultation also seeks views on the proposed amendment to the PLR Scheme to remove the requirement, in certain circumstances, for an application for registration of a posthumously eligible book to be made by the author’s personal representatives. For further details, please see the full consultation on GOV.UK.
Q4.3 To what extent do you agree or disagree with the proposal to remove the requirement, in certain circumstances, for an application for registration of a posthumously eligible book to be made by the author’s personal representatives?
☐ Strongly disagree
☐ Somewhat disagree
☐ Neither agree or disagree
☐ Somewhat agree
☐ Strongly agree
☐ Don’t know
Please provide any reasons for your answer. (500-character limit)
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________________________________________________________________
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Q4.4 How might the proposed change affect the likelihood of individuals registering posthumously eligible books?
☐ More likely
☐ Neither more nor less likely
☐ Less likely
☐ Don’t know
Please provide any reasons for your answer. (500-character limit)
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________________________________________________________________
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5. How to respond
Please respond to this consultation by completing the online response form below:
We strongly encourage responses via the online survey. Using the online survey greatly assists our analysis of the responses, enabling more efficient and effective consideration of the issues raised for each question.
Alternatively you can email your response to the questions asked in the consultation to: plr2023@dcms.gov.uk
When sending responses via this mailbox, please title your email: Consultation on technical amendments to public lending right scheme, and include answers to the ‘About you’ questions (see below) in the covering email.
This consultation is intended to be an entirely written exercise. Please contact enquiries@dcms.gov.uk if you require any other format (e.g. braille or large font). If you are responding in writing, please make it clear which questions you are responding to.
Written responses should be sent to:
Libraries team
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport
100 Parliament Street
London
SW1A 2BQ
The consultation recognises that the proposed scheme changes are potentially relevant to and impact different stakeholders. There is no requirement to answer all questions and you should respond to the change(s) relevant to you or your organisation.
It is likely that those questions relating to the proposal to increase the sample size will be of particular relevance to local authorities, authors and the wider library sector, while those relating to posthumous registration are more likely to be relevant to persons who have inherited authors’ rights.
The government’s response to this consultation will summarise the responses received, and may refer directly to individual responses in the form of anonymised quotes. It will not contain any personal information that could identify you. Names or contact details of respondents will not be published and it will not include the names of organisations responding unless we have express permission to do so. Personal data and other information provided in response to the consultation may be disclosed where required by law, for example in relation to a request made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Please confirm that you are content to provide your name and contact details and if so, please include the information with your response.
We will publish the government’s response to this consultation on the GOV.UK website, summarising the responses received and setting out the actions we plan to take in respect of them.
Duration
This public consultation will close on 23.59 on 6 August 2023.
About you
If providing a response to the mailbox, please let us know:
- if you are responding as an individual or on behalf of an organisation
- if you are responding on behalf of a local authority please also respond to the relevant questions at Annex A
6. Privacy notice
Who is collecting my data?
The Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS). The Arts, Heritage & Tourism Directorate within this department is seeking views on proposed technical amendments to the PLR Scheme. In order to better understand views from the public and our key stakeholders, we are collecting your views via a survey and by email. For the purposes of personal data collected as part of this consultation, DCMS is the Data Controller.
Purpose of this privacy notice
This notice is provided to meet our obligations as set out in Articles 13 and 14 of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA). This notice sets out how DCMS will use your personal data.
DCMS’s personal information charter explains how we deal with your information. It also explains how you can ask to view, change or remove your information from our records.
What is personal data?
Personal data is any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural living person, otherwise known as a ‘data subject’.
What personal data do we collect?
The personal information we collect and process is provided to us directly by you. This includes:
- your name and / or organisation you work for
- your contact details, such as the email address you use to contact us
How will we use your data?
We use personal information to enable us to carry out our functions as a government department. DCMS has commissioned a third party, Qualtrics, to collect your personal data on its behalf. This means we have asked Qualtrics to collect your information via an online survey, which we will review as part of the consultation process.
What is the legal basis for processing my data?
To process this personal data, our legal basis is:
Article 6 (1) (e) of the UK GDPR: it is necessary to perform a public task (to carry out a public function or exercise powers set out in law, or to perform a specific task in the public interest that is set out in law). In this case, the processing of your personal data is necessary for the performance of a task in the public interest, as the information gathered helps inform future policies.
As part of the consultation process, DCMS will process your personal data as necessary for the effective performance of a task carried out in the public interest as permitted under section 8(d) of the DPA 2018.
What will happen if I do not provide this data?
Respondents do not have to provide personal data, as this is optional.
Who will your data be shared with?
No personal data will be shared outside of DCMS, with the exception of our contractor Qualtrics, unless required by law (for example, under the Freedom of Information Act 2000).
How long will my data be held for?
We will only retain your personal data for 2 years in line with DCMS retention policy.
Will my data be used for automated decision making or profiling?
We will not use your data for any automated decision making.
Will my data be transferred outside the UK and if it is how will it be protected?
We will not send your data outside the EU.
Links to other websites
Where we provide links to websites of other organisations, this privacy notice does not cover how that organisation processes personal information. We encourage you to read the privacy notices of the other websites you visit.
What are your data protection rights?
You have rights over your personal data under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018). The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is the supervisory authority for data protection legislation, and maintains a full explanation of these rights on their website
DCMS will ensure that we uphold your rights when processing your personal data.
How do I complain?
The contact details for the data controller’s Data Protection Officer (DPO) are:
Data Protection Officer
The Department for Culture, Media & Sport
100 Parliament Street
London
SW1A 2BQ
Email: dpo@dcms.gov.uk
If you’re unhappy with the way we have handled your personal data and want to make a complaint, please write to the department’s Data Protection Officer or the Data Protection Manager at the relevant agency. You can contact the department’s Data Protection Officer using the details above.
How to contact the Information Commissioner’s Office
If you believe that your personal data has been misused or mishandled, you may make a complaint to the Information Commissioner, who is an independent regulator. You may also contact them to seek independent advice about data protection, privacy and data sharing.
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Website: www.ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Email: casework@ico.org.uk
Any complaint to the Information Commissioner is without prejudice to your right to seek redress through the courts.
Changes to our privacy notice
We may make changes to this privacy policy. In that case, the ‘last updated’ date at the bottom of this page will also change. Any changes to this privacy policy will apply to you and your data immediately.
If these changes affect how your personal data is processed, DCMS will take reasonable steps to let you know.
This notice was last updated on 12/06/2023.
Annex A: Local authority impact questions
(only answer if responding on behalf of a local authority/library service provider)
The following questions are designed to help us understand the impact associated with the proposed changes to the PLR sampling requirements — specifically, the impact of local authorities being requested to provide loans data to the British Library annually on an on-going basis rather than for a limited number of consecutive years (as under the current rotating sample arrangement).
We would first like to ask you about the cost of familiarising with this change.
QA.1 Who within your organisation would need to read the proposed changes to the PLR sampling requirements, and understand how this would affect your organisation? Please select all relevant job roles.
For a description of what jobs are included in each group, please see the ONS Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Hierarchy
☐ Corporate managers and directors
☐ Business, media and public service professionals (e.g. legal professionals; business, research and administrative professionals; librarians etc.)
☐ Business and public service associates (e.g. legal associates; business, finance associates; sales, marketing associates etc.)
☐ Administrative occupations
☐ Secretarial and related occupations
☐ Customer service occupations
☐ Elementary administration and service occupations
☐ Don’t know
QA.2 How long would it take to read the proposed changes to the PLR sampling requirements, and understand how this would affect your organisation?
Please provide an estimate of the total number of hours required per job role selected (please use the unit of 0.25 per 15 minutes e.g. 1 hr 45 minutes = 1.75)
| Number of hours | |
|---|---|
| Corporate managers and directors | |
| Business, media and public service professionals (e.g. legal professionals; business, research and administrative professionals; librarians etc.) | |
| Business and public service associates (e.g. legal associates; business, finance associates; sales, marketing associates etc.) | |
| Administrative occupations | |
| Secretarial and related occupations | |
| Customer service occupations | |
| Elementary administration and service occupations | |
| Don’t know |
We would now like to ask you about one-off implementation costs your organisation would incur as a result of the proposed change to the PLR sampling requirement.
QA.3 Does your organisation collect data on book loans, on at least an annual basis?
☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ Don’t know
QA.4 [If yes to QB.3] Is this data currently collected through a Library Management System?
☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ Don’t know
QA.5 Within your library authority, which job roles do you consider to be responsible for compiling and sending book loan data to the British Library, during the years when your LA is part of the PLR sample? Please select all relevant job roles
For a description of what jobs are included in each group, please see the ONS Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Hierarchy
☐ Corporate managers and directors
☐ Business, media and public service professionals (e.g. legal professionals; business, research and administrative professionals; librarians etc.)
☐ Business and public service associates (e.g. legal associates; business, finance associates; sales, marketing associates etc.)
☐ Administrative occupations
☐ Secretarial and related occupations
☐ Customer service occupations
☐ Elementary administration and service occupations
☐ Don’t know
QA.6 How long does it take to compile the book loan data and respond to the British Library PLR sampling request, per year your library authority is part of the PLR sample?
Please provide an estimate of the total number of hours required per job role selected per year (please use the unit of 0.25 per 15 minutes e.g. 1 hr 45 minutes = 1.75)
| Number of hours | |
|---|---|
| Corporate managers and directors | |
| Business, media and public service professionals (e.g. legal professionals; business, research and administrative professionals; librarians etc.) | |
| Business and public service associates (e.g. legal associates; business, finance associates; sales, marketing associates etc.) | |
| Administrative occupations | |
| Secretarial and related occupations | |
| Customer service occupations | |
| Elementary administration and service occupations | |
| Don’t know |
QA.7 What does the process of compiling and sending book loans data to the British Library involve for your organisation? (500-character limit)
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QA.8 Would any changes have to be made to current work processes as a result of the proposed change to the PLR sampling requirement? This may include, but is not limited to, changes in order to collect book loans data on at least an annual basis if your organisation does not already do so.
☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ Don’t know
QA.9 [If yes to QA.8] Please could you describe the changes you expect to take place. (500-character limit)
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QA.10 [If yes to QA.8] Who would these changes affect within your organisation? Please select all relevant job roles
For a description of what jobs are included in each group, please see the ONS Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Hierarchy
☐ Corporate managers and directors
☐ Business, media and public service professionals (e.g. legal professionals; business, research and administrative professionals; librarians etc.)
☐ Business and public service associates (e.g. legal associates; business, finance associates; sales, marketing associates etc.)
☐ Administrative occupations
☐ Secretarial and related occupations
☐ Customer service occupations
☐ Elementary administration and service occupations
☐ Don’t know
QA.11 [If yes to QA.8] How long would it take to implement these changes, per job role selected?
Please provide an estimate of the total number of hours required per job role selected (please use the unit of 0.25 per 15 minutes e.g. 1 hr 45 minutes = 1.75)
| Number of hours | |
|---|---|
| Corporate managers and directors | |
| Business, media and public service professionals (e.g. legal professionals; business, research and administrative professionals; librarians etc.) | |
| Business and public service associates (e.g. legal associates; business, finance associates; sales, marketing associates etc.) | |
| Administrative occupations | |
| Secretarial and related occupations | |
| Customer service occupations | |
| Elementary administration and service occupations | |
| Don’t know |
QA.12 Would any additional one-off workforce training be required specifically in order to implement these changes?
☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ Don’t know
QA.13 [If yes to QA.12] Who do you anticipate within your organisation would have to be trained and how long will the training take?
Please provide an estimate of the total number of hours required per job type selected (please use the unit of 0.25 per 15 minutes e.g. 1 hr 45 minutes = 1.75).
For a description of what jobs are included in each group, please see the ONS Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Hierarchy
| Number of people | Number of hours per person | |
|---|---|---|
| Corporate managers and directors | ||
| Business, media and public service professionals (e.g. legal professionals; business, research and administrative professionals; | ||
| Business and public service associates (e.g. legal associates; business, finance associates; sales, marketing associates etc.) | ||
| Administrative occupations | ||
| Secretarial and related occupations | ||
| Customer service occupations | ||
| Elementary administration and service occupations | ||
| Don’t know |
QA.14 [If yes to QA.12] How much to you estimate this training would cost in total?
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________________________________________________________________
QA.15 Would there be any other one-off costs associated with implementing these changes as a result of changes to the PLR sampling requirement (e.g. purchasing new software, obtaining external expert advice etc.)?
☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ Don’t know
QA.16 [If yes to QA.15] Please provide details of these other one-off costs, including £ values of the estimated one-off implementation costs. (500-character limit)
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We would now like to ask you about annual costs your organisation would incur as a result of the proposed change to the PLR sampling requirement.
QA.17 Would the time taken per year to compile and send PLR book loan data to the British Library change as a result of the proposed change to the sampling requirements, compared to the current time taken in the years when your library authority is included in the sample?
☐ Increase in time taken
☐ No change in time taken
☐ Decrease in time taken
☐ Don’t know
QA.18 [If selected increase in time taken or decrease in time taken to QA.17] How long do you estimate it will take to compile the book loan data and respond to the British Library PLR sampling request per year?
Please provide an estimate of the total number of hours required per job role selected (please use the unit of 0.25 per 15 minutes e.g. 1 hr 45 minutes = 1.75)
For a description of what jobs are included in each group, please see the ONS Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Hierarchy
| Number of hours | |
|---|---|
| Corporate managers and directors | |
| Business, media and public service professionals (e.g. legal professionals; business, research and administrative professionals; librarians etc.) | |
| Business and public service associates (e.g. legal associates; business, finance associates; sales, marketing associates etc.) | |
| Administrative occupations | |
| Secretarial and related occupations | |
| Customer service occupations | |
| Elementary administration and service occupations | |
| Don’t know |
QA.19 Would there be any other ongoing annual costs as a result of changes to the PLR sampling requirement (e.g. hiring external consultants on a regular basis, subscribing to new software, new tools for data collection etc.)?
☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ Don’t know
QA.20 [If yes to QA.19] Please provide details of these other ongoing annual costs, including £ values of the estimated costs per year. (500-character limit)
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QA.21 PLR legislation allows for the reimbursement of reasonable costs incurred while part of the PLR sample. How likely is your organisation to pass on reporting costs to the British Library, as a result of the proposed changes to the PLR sampling requirements?
☐ Highly likely
☐ Somewhat likely
☐ Neither likely nor unlikely
☐ Somewhat unlikely
☐ Highly unlikely
☐ Don’t know
QA.22 Do you anticipate there would be any other wider impacts as a result of the proposed change to the PLR sample requirement not mentioned above? These could be positive or negative.
☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ Don’t know
QA.23 [If yes to QA.22] Please provide details of these other wider impacts, including £ values of the estimated costs or benefits per year. (500-character limit)
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End of local authority impact questions
Annex B: Individual/other organisation impact questions
(only answer if responding as an individual or other organisation type)
The following questions are designed to help us understand the impact of the proposed changes to the Public Lending Right legislation.
QB.1 Do you anticipate there would be any wider impacts as a result of the proposed change to the PLR book loans sampling? These could be positive or negative.
☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ Don’t know
QB.2 [If yes to QB.1] Please provide any details of these wider impacts. (500-character limit)
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QB.3 Do you anticipate there would be any wider impacts as a result of the proposed change to the posthumous registration requirement? These could be positive or negative.
☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ Don’t know
QB.4 [If yes to QB.3] Please provide any details of these wider impacts. (500-character limit)
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End of individual impact questions
Annex C: British Library impact questions
(only answer this section if the response is on behalf of the British Library)
The following questions are designed to help us understand the impact of the proposed changes to the Public Lending Right legislation. We would first like to ask you about the cost of familiarising with the proposed changes to the PLR sampling and posthumous registration requirements.
QC.1 Who within the British Library would need to read proposed changes to the PLR sampling and posthumous registration requirements, and understand how this would affect your organisation? Please select all relevant job roles.
For a description of what jobs are included in each group, please see the ONS Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Hierarchy
☐ Corporate managers and directors
☐ Business, media and public service professionals (e.g. legal professionals; business, research and administrative professionals; librarians etc.)
☐ Business and public service associates (e.g. legal associates; business, finance associates; sales, marketing associates etc.)
☐ Administrative occupations
☐ Secretarial and related occupations
☐ Customer service occupations
☐ Elementary administration and service occupations
☐ Don’t know
QC.2 How long would it take to read the proposed changes to the PLR sampling and posthumous registration requirements, and understand how this would affect your organisation?
Please provide an estimate of the total number of hours required per job type selected (please use the unit of 0.25 per 15 minutes e.g. 1 hr 45 minutes = 1.75)
| Number of hours | |
|---|---|
| Corporate managers and directors | |
| Business, media and public service professionals (e.g. legal professionals; business, research and administrative professionals; librarians etc.) | |
| Business and public service associates (e.g. legal associates; business, finance associates; sales, marketing associates etc.) | |
| Administrative occupations | |
| Secretarial and related occupations | |
| Customer service occupations | |
| Elementary administration and service occupations | |
| Don’t know |
QC.3 Who within the British Library would need to update published guidance on PLR, as a result of the proposed changes to the PLR sampling and posthumous registration requirements?
This could include for example updating guidance documents and webpages on the British Library website. Please select all relevant job roles
For a description of what jobs are included in each group, please see the ONS Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Hierarchy
☐ Corporate managers and directors
☐ Business, media and public service professionals (e.g. legal professionals; business, research and administrative professionals; librarians etc.)
☐ Business and public service associates (e.g. legal associates; business, finance associates; sales, marketing associates etc.)
☐ Administrative occupations
☐ Secretarial and related occupations
☐ Customer service occupations
☐ Elementary administration and service occupations
☐ Don’t know
QC.4 How long would it take to update the published guidance on the PLR?
Please provide an estimate of the total number of hours required per job type selected (please use the unit of 0.25 per 15 minutes e.g. 1 hr 45 minutes = 1.75)
| Number of hours | |
|---|---|
| Corporate managers and directors | |
| Business, media and public service professionals (e.g. legal professionals; business, research and administrative professionals; librarians etc.) | |
| Business and public service associates (e.g. legal associates; business, finance associates; sales, marketing associates etc.) | |
| Administrative occupations | |
| Secretarial and related occupations | |
| Customer service occupations | |
| Elementary administration and service occupations | |
| Don’t know |
The following questions will now focus on the impacts to your organisation of changes to the PLR sampling requirement.
QC.5 What would be the process for the British Library transitioning towards full sampling of loans data from all library authorities in the UK? For example, timescales, estimated number of LAs included in the sample per year of transition etc.
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QC.6 Within the British Library, which job roles do you consider to be responsible for commissioning, compiling and analysing the data required for PLR from local authorities?
For a description of what jobs are included in each group, please see the ONS Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Hierarchy
☐ Corporate managers and directors
☐ Business, media and public service professionals (e.g. legal professionals; business, research and administrative professionals; librarians etc.)
☐ Business and public service associates (e.g. legal associates; business, finance associates; sales, marketing associates etc.)
☐ Administrative occupations
☐ Secretarial and related occupations
☐ Customer service occupations
☐ Elementary administration and service occupations
☐ Don’t know
QC.7 On average, how long does commissioning, compiling and analysing the PLR data currently take the British Library per job role selected, based on the current 30 operative sampling points per year?
Please provide an estimate of the number of hours per job type per year (please use the unit of 0.25 per 15 minutes, e.g. 1 hr 45 minutes = 1.75)
| Number of hours | |
|---|---|
| Corporate managers and directors | |
| Business, media and public service professionals (e.g. legal professionals; business, research and administrative professionals; librarians etc.) | |
| Business and public service associates (e.g. legal associates; business, finance associates; sales, marketing associates etc.) | |
| Administrative occupations | |
| Secretarial and related occupations | |
| Customer service occupations | |
| Elementary administration and service occupations | |
| Don’t know |
We would now like to ask you about one-off implementation costs your organisation would incur as a result of the proposed change to the PLR sampling requirement.
QC.8 Would any changes have to be made to current work processes as a result of the proposed change to the PLR sampling requirement?
☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ Don’t know
QC.9 [If yes to QC.8] Please could you describe the changes to current work processes you expect to take place as a result of the proposed change to the PLR sampling requirement.
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QC.10 [If yes to QC.8] Who would these changes affect within your organisation? Please select all relevant job roles
For a description of what jobs are included in each group, please see the ONS Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Hierarchy
☐ Corporate managers and directors
☐ Business, media and public service professionals (e.g. legal professionals; business, research and administrative professionals; librarians etc.)
☐ Business and public service associates (e.g. legal associates; business, finance associates; sales, marketing associates etc.)
☐ Administrative occupations
☐ Secretarial and related occupations
☐ Customer service occupations
☐ Elementary administration and service occupations
☐ Don’t know
QC.11 [If yes to QC.8] How long would it take to implement these changes, per job type selected?
Please provide an estimate of the number of hours per job type (please use the unit of 0.25 per 15 minutes e.g. 1 hr 45 minutes = 1.75)
| Number of hours | |
|---|---|
| Corporate managers and directors | |
| Business, media and public service professionals (e.g. legal professionals; business, research and administrative professionals; librarians etc.) | |
| Business and public service associates (e.g. legal associates; business, finance associates; sales, marketing associates etc.) | |
| Administrative occupations | |
| Secretarial and related occupations | |
| Customer service occupations | |
| Elementary administration and service occupations | |
| Don’t know |
QC.12 Would any additional one-off workforce training be required specifically in order to implement these changes?
☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ Don’t know
QC.13 [If yes to QC.12] Who do you anticipate within your organisation would have to be trained and how long will the training take?
Please enter the number of people per job type who would receive additional training, and how many hours you expect this training to take per person (please use the unit of 0.25 per 15 minutes e.g. 1 hr 45 minutes = 1.75)
For a description of what jobs are included in each group, please see the ONS Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Hierarchy
| Number of people | Number of hours per person | |
|---|---|---|
| Corporate managers and directors | ||
| Business, media and public service professionals (e.g. legal professionals; business, research and administrative professionals etc.) | ||
| Business and public service associates (e.g. legal associates; business, finance associates; sales, marketing associates etc.) | ||
| Administrative occupations | ||
| Secretarial and related occupations | ||
| Customer service occupations | ||
| Elementary administration and service occupations | ||
| Don’t know |
QC.14 [If yes to QC.12] How much do you estimate this training would cost in total?
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QC.15 Would there be any other one-off costs associated with implementing these changes as a result of changes to the PLR sampling requirement (e.g. purchasing new software, obtaining external expert advice etc.)?
☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ Don’t know
QC.16 [If yes to QC.15] Please provide details of these other one-off costs, including £ values of the estimated one-off implementation costs.
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We would now like to ask you about annual costs your organisation would incur as a result of the proposed change to the PLR sampling requirement.
QC.17 Would the time taken per year to commission, compile and analyse the PLR data change for the British Library as a result of the proposed change to the sampling requirements?
☐ Increase in time taken
☐ No change in time taken
☐ Decrease in time taken
☐ Don’t know
QC.18 [If selected increase in time taken or decrease in time taken to QC.17] How long do you estimate this will take in total per job type per year, based on requesting information from the full sample of local authorities per year?
Please provide an estimate of the total number of hours per job type per year (please use the unit of 0.25 per 15 minutes, e.g. 1 hr 45 minutes = 1.75).
For a description of what jobs are included in each group, please see the ONS Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Hierarchy.
| Number of hours | |
|---|---|
| Corporate managers and directors | |
| Business, media and public service professionals (e.g. legal professionals; business, research and administrative professionals; librarians etc.) | |
| Business and public service associates (e.g. legal associates; business, finance associates; sales, marketing associates etc.) | |
| Administrative occupations | |
| Secretarial and related occupations | |
| Customer service occupations | |
| Elementary administration and service occupations | |
| Don’t know |
QC.19 Do you anticipate there would be any other ongoing annual costs as a result of changes to the PLR sampling requirement (e.g. hiring external consultants on a regular basis, subscribing to new software packages etc.)?
☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ Don’t know
QC.20 [If yes to QC.19] Please provide details of these other ongoing annual costs, including £ values of the estimated costs per year.
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We would now like to ask you about local authority pass-through costs your organisation would incur as a result of the proposed change to the PLR sampling requirement.
QC.21 How many local authorities charge British Library for their PLR data reporting costs? Please provide evidence from 2019 and 2022
| 2019 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of LAs who charged BL for reporting PLR data | ||
| Total number of LAs that provided PLR data to BL |
QC.22 During the year 2022, how much on average did local authorities who passed on PLR reporting costs to the British Library charge? Please provide an average, low and high figure if possible
| Mean average | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per LA charge for reporting to BL (2022) |
QC.23 Do you anticipate there would be any other wider impacts as a result of the proposed change to the PLR sampling requirement not mentioned above? These could be positive or negative.
☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ Don’t know
QC.24 [If yes to QC.23] Please provide details of these other wider impacts, including £ values of the estimated costs or benefits per year.
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Lastly, we would like to ask you about the impact of changes to the requirements for posthumous registration of eligible books.
QC.25 How many books are currently registered posthumously on average per year?
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QC.26 To what extent do you agree or disagree that people will be more likely to register books posthumously, after the proposed change to the registration requirements?
☐ Strongly disagree
☐ Somewhat disagree
☐ Neither agree nor disagree
☐ Somewhat agree
☐ Strongly agree
☐ Don’t know
QC.27 Please provide an estimate of the number of books you expect to be registered posthumously per year if the proposed change to the registration requirements is implemented. Please specify any evidence or assumptions used.
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QC.28 Do you anticipate there would be any other wider impacts as a result of the proposed change to the posthumous registration requirement not mentioned above? These could be positive or negative.
☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ Don’t know
QC.29 [If yes to QC.28] Please provide details of these other wider impacts, including £ values of the estimated costs or benefits per year.
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End of British Library impact questions
End of survey
Q. Would you be happy to be re-contacted by the DCMS Libraries Policy team regarding your consultation response? If yes, please provide your name, organisation (if necessary) and contact email address
☐ Yes
__________________________________________________
☐ No
Thank you for responding to the consultation on Technical Amendments to the Public Lending Right Scheme: 2023.