§ Lord Faulkner of Worcesterasked the Chairman of Committees:
How many visitors participated in the tours of the Palace of Westminster during the 2001 Summer Recess; how much revenue was generated from admission charges and from sales in the souvenir kiosks; what profit was generated from the visitor programme; and how these figures compare with those for the 2000 summer recess. [HL845]
§ The Chairman of Committees (Lord Tordoff)There were 86,284 visitors over the eight weeks the Line of Route was open this summer, compared with 40,577 over a six-week opening period in 2000. Revenue from ticket sales (VAT adjusted, with the 2000 figure in brackets) was £264,949 (£119,991), and the provisional revenue from merchandising was £100,343 (£136,969).
The opening of the Line of Route is not intended to make a profit, but to contribute to the public's awareness and understanding of Parliament. The ticket price of £3.50 represents an administration fee, offsetting the costs of ticket booking and of guides. The profits from merchandising, projected to be £10,133 this year, also contribute to the operating costs. This compares to a merchandising loss of £13,764 in 2000 (mostly attributable to one-off startup costs). Both this year and in 2000 the opening of the Line of Route had a planned deficit of some £232,000, thanks in large part to the costs of extra staff and security. In the event the deficit in 2000 was £209,611, and this year it is estimated that the deficit will have been reduced to around £168,000. The House of Lords is responsible for 40 per cent of this deficit.