Dan Jarvis MP, Labour's Shadow Culture Minister, has written to Ed Vaizey calling for him to produce a report exploring the future of e-book lending, and said:

“Following my question in the Chamber on the 14th June, I was pleased to meet with Ed Vaizey and a number of publishers to discuss the issues relating to e-book lending, and the extension of the Public Lending Right Scheme.

“This raises questions both about the future public policy imperative of libraries as they evolve in the 21st Century, and the economic imperative of ensuring that authors receive proper remuneration for their work.

“Today, I am calling for the Government to convene an effective and credible taskforce to explore e-book lending – which should consist of librarians, authors and publishers and be chaired by an independent expert.

“If the Government wants libraries to move into the 21st Century, and wants to protect the value of books, Ed Vaizey needs to act on this now.”