§ Mr. R. Gibsonasked the Postmaster-General what was the income received by his Department from the whole of Scotland and the Islands of Scotland, respectively, for the two monthly periods of July-August and October-November, respectively, for each of the last three years; what proportion of such July-August income is attributable to the Scottish tourist industry; and what special facilities his Department provides for tourists in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland?
§ Sir W. WomersleyI regret that it is impracticable to furnish figures under all the divisions mentioned in the question. The figures of revenue for the whole of Scotland for the periods named are as follow: 3309W
— Postal Services. Telegraph Services. Telephone Services. Wireless Licence Receipts. Total 1935 £ £ £ £ £ July-August … 629,496 55,721 523,544 22,323 1,231,084 October-November 1936. … 664,022 45,338 526,462 89,303 1,325,125 July-August … 638,863 59,564 559,914 24,136 1,282,477 October-November 1937 … 674,868 50,959 557,215 95,245 1,378,287 July-August … 656,247 58,626 593,010 26,950 1,334,833 October-November … 707,706 49,644 587,108 99,007 1,443,465 The figures represent the revenue collected in the periods and are subject to adjustments in respect of stamps used for non-postal purposes. In the case of telephones, they represent the actual collections in the periods in respect generally of quarterly accounts and the incidence of receipt is therefore uneven.
It is impossible without lengthy investigation to give separate figures for the Islands, or to assess what proportion of the July-August revenue might be attributed to tourist traffic.
It is the practice of the Post Office to provide for seasonal influx of business at tourist and holiday centres by appropriate additions to staff and augmentations of services.