10:22am UK, Monday December 27, 2010
Ministers have performed a U-turn over plans to axe a scheme providing free books for children.
Philip Pullman reads to young friends at an event at London Zoo
The Booktrust charity had been expecting to see a 20% cut in its £13m-a-year government grant, but was then told it would be losing the entire sum.
But, following a furious backlash from authors including leading children's writer Philip Pullman and former poet laureate Sir Andrew Motion, the Department for Education is to continue funding the charity's book-giving programme.
"Although the current contract will end in April the department is talking to Booktrust about how to develop a new programme which will ensure that every child can enjoy the gift of books at crucial moments in their lives while ensuring we develop an even more effective way of supporting the most disadvantaged families to read together," the department said in a joint statement with Booktrust.
Children all over the world love the Harry Potter tales
The U-turn comes hard on the heels of Education Secretary Michael Gove's retreat over plans to axe funding for the School Sports Partnership scheme in England, which had been on the closure hit list.
Booktrust has been operating since 1992 and government-funded since 2004.
It aims to provide Bookstart packs to parents when their babies are born and then further books at later stages in their development.
Its co-founder, Wendy Cooling, was awarded the MBE in 2008 for services to children's literacy.
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