§ 12. Sir R. Robinsonasked the President of the Board of Trade what progress has been made by the interdepartmental committee reviewing the problems of extending the summer holiday season; and when he expects to receive its report.
§ Mr. J. RodgersAs my right hon. Friend explained to his hon. Friend the Member for Honiton (Mr. Mathew) on 14th July, the Committee on the Extension of the Holiday Season has met six times since its appointment last March and hopes to present an interim Report by October.
§ Sir R. RobinsonAs none of the problems before this Committee is new, will my hon. Friend undertake to ask it to expedite its final findings so that we can have action before the next holiday season?
§ Mr. RodgersI cannot quite agree with my hon. Friend. There is need, I think, for reliable information about the choice of holiday dates, and Social Survey is undertaking now a sample survey to elicit information about why people take their holidays when they do. Preliminary results from this cannot be made available before the middle of September.
§ Sir R. RobinsonIs my hon. Friend aware that the House has been discussing this problem for more than 22 years?
§ Mr. RodgersI am well aware that the subject has been discussed for a long time, but it is very important that adequate consultations should be undertaken with all those concerned in order to ensure the widest measure of support for the Committee's recommendations when it makes them.