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STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS
2026 No. 8
LIBRARIES
The Public Lending Right Scheme 1982
(Commencement of Variation) Order 2026
Made - - - - 6th January 2026
Laid before Parliament 8th January 2026
Coming into force - - 9th February 2026
The Public Lending Right Scheme 1982(1) (“the Scheme”) was brought into force on 14th June
1982;
The Scheme has been varied(2);
The Secretary of State, after consultation with representatives of authors and library authorities
and of others who appear likely to be affected, has further varied the Scheme;
Accordingly the Secretary of State, in whom the power conferred by section 3(7) of the Public
Lending Right Act 1979(3) is vested(4), makes this Order in exercise of that power:
Citation, commencement and extent
1.—(1) This Order may be cited as the Public Lending Right Scheme 1982 (Commencement of
Variation) Order 2026 and comes into force on 9th February 2026.
(2) This Order extends to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Commencement of variation
2. The variation of the Public Lending Right Scheme 1982 whereby article 46(1)(a) is varied by
substituting “12.40p” for “11.76p” comes into force on 9th February 2026.
(1) The Scheme is set out in the Appendix to the Public Lending Right Scheme 1982 (Commencement) Order 1982 (S.I.
1982/719).
(2) Variations to the Scheme have been brought into force by subsequent orders. Appendix 2 to S.I. 1990/2360 sets out the Scheme
as varied by amendments made on 26th November 1990. A number of variations of the kind brought into force by this Order
have been made since, the last of which was brought into force by S.I. 2025/11.
(3) 1979 c. 10. There are amendments to the Act, but none are relevant to this Order.
(4) The functions under section 3(7) of the Public Lending Right Act 1979 were originally vested in the Secretary of State
and, after a series of transfer of functions orders (S.I. 1979/907, 1981/207, 1983/879, 1984/1814 and 1986/600), they were
transferred back to the Secretary of State by virtue of article 3(1) of, and Schedule 1 to, the Transfer of Functions (National
Heritage) Order 1992 (S.I. 1992/1311).Document Generated: 2026-02-09
Status: This is the original version (as it was originally made). This
item of legislation is currently only available in its original format.
Twycross
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State
6th January 2026 Department for Culture, Media and Sport
2Document Generated: 2026-02-09
Status: This is the original version (as it was originally made). This
item of legislation is currently only available in its original format.
EXPLANATORY NOTE
(This note is not part of the Order)
This Order brings into force on 9th February 2026 a variation of the Public Lending Right Scheme
1982 (“the Scheme”) made by the Secretary of State.
The Scheme provides for payments to be made to authors from a central fund in respect of the loan of
their books by public libraries in the UK (including remote loans of e-books and audio books). These
payments are based on an estimate of the total number of times each book has been borrowed (the
number of “notional loans”) over the relevant year, together with a “rate per loan” amount specified
in the Scheme. The effect of the variation is to increase the rate per loan set out in article 46(1)(a)
of the Scheme from 11.76p to 12.40p.
A full impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no, or no significant, impact
on the private, voluntary or public sectors is foreseen.
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