Books in school - is buying them for students a good idea?

One of the interesting things I've noticed since arriving in the UK and starting to teach is that most schools here buy the books for the pupils. Coming from my own background in Ireland, I always remember the challenges of purchasing the required textbooks for each year, and then lugging the necessary books into school each day, depending on my classes.

There was disadvantages to this for definite. The weight of all those books has probably left a lasting impression on me :) But the benefits were that I actually had the books at home should I want to read them.
I've noticed here, especially in ICT, that the books are rarely taken off the shelves. The strongest, best pupils definitely take a copy home, or use them in class, but for the most part, many do not get much use.

Essentially, I'm wondering if by the school taking the step to purchase the book, does it remove some of the obligation on the pupils to actually read or use the books. I'm sure I could be wrong on this, but I'm guessing there might be less incentive on the pupils to actually read the books if they don't have them in their possession.
Of course, the argument is now that pupils can get much of this information online, but there's also a lot more distractions online and there's a lot to be said to having a concise book (or e-book) in front of you on a specific topic.

thoughts?