§ Mr. EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the cost to business of each public holiday in(a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland. [64534]
§ Alan JohnsonBased on the most recent data available on Compensation of Employees from the Regional Accounts (produced by the Office for National Statistics), the estimated cost of a bank holiday to UK business in 1999 was £1.89 billion. The breakdown by country is(a)£1,610 million in England (b) £80 million in Wales (c) £160 million in Scotland and (d) £40 million in Northern Ireland. These figures are probably an overestimate since they assume that all businesses are closed on bank holidays; and that all employees, who do not work on bank holidays, are still paid.