Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of overseas visitors to (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) England, (d) Wales and (e) Northern Ireland arrive by air; and what proportion of total spending by overseas visitors such visitors account for in each nation.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The table below gives the number and proportion of overseas visitors to the UK and its constituent countries who travel by air and the proportion of spending by these visitors in 2013.
The results are based on data from the International Passenger Survey (IPS), which is managed by the Office for National Statistics.
Overseas visitors departing the UK by air, 2013
| Number of Visits | Spending | ||
| Thousands | Percentage of total departing visitors | £ millions | Percentage of total expenditure by departing visitors |
(c) England | 20,955 | 73% | 15,620 | 85% |
(b) Scotland | 2,123 | 87% | 1,547 | 92% |
(d) wales | 519 | 59% | 273 | 77% |
(e) Northern Ireland | 163 | 44% | 95 | 46% |
(a) All Regions | 23,722 | 72% | 17,752 | 84% |
The IPS collects information on visits and expenditure by overseas residents on the respondents' departure from the UK. In the majority of cases respondents will arrive and depart the UK using the same form of transport but there will be a small number who arrive and depart using different modes. This potential discrepancy is greater for Northern Ireland, as there are difficulties collecting estimates of travel across the land border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the number of direct flights from Scottish airports to emerging economies which have commenced since 2010.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The table below shows the number of air transport movements at Scottish airports on direct routes outside Western Europe or North America, which have commenced since 2010.
Number of flight departures, 2010-2013
Reporting Airport | Next Airport | Next Country | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 |
Aberdeen | Baku | Azerbaijan |
| 62 | 84 | 1 |
Aberdeen | Riga | Latvia |
|
| 1 | 13 |
Aberdeen | Antalya | Turkey | 4 | 10 |
|
|
Edinburgh | Istanbul | Turkey |
|
| 97 | 314 |
Edinburgh | Budapest | Hungary |
| 92 | 137 | 137 |
Edinburgh | Sharm El Sheikh | Egypt | 44 | 16 |
| 39 |
Edinburgh | Tallin | Estonia |
| 125 |
|
|
Edinburgh | Szczecin (Golenow) | Poland |
|
| 49 | 62 |
Edinburgh | Katowice | Poland |
|
|
| 63 |
Edinburgh | Antalya | Turkey |
| 22 | 20 | 16 |
Edinburgh | Enfidha | Tunisia |
|
|
| 26 |
Glasgow | Enfidha | Tunisia |
| 34 | 74 | 116 |
Glasgow | Boa Vista (Rabil) | Cape Verde Islands |
| 35 | 53 |
|
Glasgow | Warsaw (Chopin) | Poland |
|
|
| 88 |
Glasgow | Gdansk | Poland |
|
|
| 86 |
Glasgow | Punta Cana | Dominican Republic |
| 13 |
|
|
Prestwick | Bydgoszcz | Poland |
|
| 83 | 105 |
Prestwick | Warsaw (Chopin) | Poland |
|
|
| 135 |
Prestwick | Modlin Masovia | Poland |
|
| 68 |
|
Prestwick | Rzeszow | Poland |
|
|
| 63 |
Prestwick | Warsaw (Modlin Masovia) | Poland |
|
|
| 42 |
Source: Civil Aviation Authority Airport Statistics
Routes with less than 10 departures in a year are excluded.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the comparative benefits to businesses of direct aviation connectivity between two locations and connectivity requiring a stopover at a hub airport.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Government has set up the Airports Commission to examine the question of how best to maintain the UK’s international hub connectivity.
As its Interim Report shows, the Airports Commission is taking account of economic benefits to the UK of aviation connectivity when making recommendations.
The Commission’s final report is due to be submitted to Government in summer 2015. The Government’s principle concern is to protect the integrity and independence of the Commission through to the final report and will not be commenting on its ongoing work.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the contribution made by the direct connectivity of UK airports to emerging markets to tourism from such locations in the medium and long-term.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Government has set up the Airports Commission to examine the question of how best to maintain the UK’s international hub connectivity.
As its Interim Report shows, the Airports Commission is taking account of economic benefits to the UK of aviation connectivity when making recommendations.
The Commission’s final report is due to be submitted to Government in summer 2015. The Government’s principle concern is to protect the integrity and independence of the Commission through to the final report and will not be commenting on its ongoing work.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the relationship between direct air connectivity between UK airports and overseas locations and tourism from the overseas locations so connected.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Government has set up the Airports Commission to examine the question of how best to maintain the UK’s international hub connectivity.
As its Interim Report shows, the Airports Commission is taking account of economic benefits to the UK of aviation connectivity when making recommendations.
The Commission’s final report is due to be submitted to Government in summer 2015. The Government’s principle concern is to protect the integrity and independence of the Commission through to the final report and will not be commenting on its ongoing work.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons it is not a requirement to monitor and detect in real time organo-phosphate compounds in the cabin air of aircraft operating in and out of UK airports.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
It has not been shown that cabin air exposures, either in general or following specific incidents, cause ill-health. Responsibility for introducing any additional monitoring or detection system on board a commercial aircraft is the responsibility of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the response times for tug boats assisting shipping incidents on the west of Scotland have been in the last year.
Answered by John Hayes
Over the past year there have been seven incidents across the Western Region of Scotland, from Cape Wrath to the North Channel, which have resulted in a tow being required to recover, or potentially recover casualty vessels.
The RNLI Lifeboats, sister vessels such as fishing boats, commercial towage and the government-funded Emergency Towing Vessel on one occasion have provided towing.
Response times have varied from 32 minutes, when the Tobermory Lifeboat aided the fishing vessel DIAMOND D, to 4 days 5 hours when the tug PACIFIC CHAMPION was deployed to assist the Bulk Carrier ELEANOR D, some 85 nautical miles west of St Kilda. During the latter incident, there were no safety of life issues, and all parties were in agreement with the response timescale.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2015 to Question 220504, if he will provide information equivalent to that in the Answer for the other 58 parliamentary constituencies within Scotland, for the period 1 January 2014 to 20 January 2015.
Answered by Claire Perry
This information is not held centrally and cannot be provided without incurring a disproportionate cost.