§ Mr. Macleanasked the Paymaster General if he has any plans to review the method by which travel-to-work areas are determined; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. LangThe travel-to-work areas, and the methods used in deriving them, were reviewed in 1984 using the data on the pattern of journeys to work provided by the 1981 census of population. The definitions of the revised areas were published, together with a description of the methodology, in a supplement to the September 1984 edition ofEmployment Gazette, a copy of which is in the Library. Only censuses of population provide sufficiently detailed and comprehensive data on travel patterns to form the basis of a review of travel-to-work areas. The next review is therefore scheduled to be undertaken when the results of the 1991 census are available.