§ Mr. David Huntasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if the international passenger survey is still being carried out by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys; if he will specify the cost of the survey in 1976, 1977 and 1978 to date; and at which airports the survey has been taken and the use to which the information so collected has been put.
§ Mr. DeakinsThe answer to the first part of the Question is "Yes".
The costs incurred by Office of Population Censuses and Surveys were: 1976—£514,000, 1977—£493,000 and for the first three months of 1978—£133,000.
The main airports at which interviews are carried out are Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Ringway and Prestwick. In addition, interviews are carried out at seaports and smaller airports. The results are used to measure international tourism and migration and the contribution of tourism to the balance of payments, so helping in the development of government policies on tourism and international transport. Details are supplied to a wide range of specialist users and summaries are published.