The government will provide £250,000 to the ’much valued’ Family Library Limited for another two years.

The Council of Ministers confirmed that the amount will be provided while a further review of the island’s library provision is carried out to help make a long-term decision on funding.

Its response was made to a Tynwald committee, which was set up in 2017 to investigate the adequacy, structure and funding of library services in the island.

A CoMin spokesman said: ’It is accepted that there is a need to undertake a more comprehensive review of library provision in the island before long-term decisions on funding can be made and that whilst this review is undertaken there is a need to offer some short term funding to the Family Library Limited to fund the Mobile, Home Library and Schools services.’

It agreed that a working party to investigate the provision and purpose of public library services should be established and should be completed no later than December 2019.’

The response was prepared by the Department of Infrastructure and has been agreed with the Treasury and the Department of Education.

A spokesman for the Family Library and Mobile Family Library said: ’We welcome the recognition by the select committee of the important role played by the Family Library and the Mobile Family Library, and the Home and Schools Services we also provide. We look forward to co-operating with any working party investigation into overall library provision.

’The financial support we received from the government last year was crucial in enabling us to continue to provide our vital services and we are grateful for any continued financial support that Tynwald approves, to help us to operate while the working group carries out its investigations.’

The committee, chaired by Douglas East MHK Clare Bettison, previously warned that services run by Family Library Limited were under threat this year as its team was unable to raise enough money to release all of the matched funding offered by the Scheinberg Family Office, which has helped to prevent the libraries from closing since 2012.

It reported that the government’s withdrawal of funding created significant issues for the Family, Mobile, Home Library and schools service, but recognised that a one-off emergency payment of £100,000 had been made by the government last year.

In its recommendations, the committee said that £125,000 should be made to the service to enable the Mobile, Home Library and Schools services to continue for another two years. Plus a further £125,000 to secure the Family Library for the same period. CoMin said £250,000 will be provided overall for two years.

In a statement, the committee said: ’We conclude that the Family Library limited is a much valued part of the island’s library provision. The Mobile, Home Library and Schools services in particular are absolutely fundamental as they provide something which is not available elsewhere.’