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3 Mar 2008 : Column 2128W—continued

Tourism: Balance of Payments

Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the balance of payments in tourism in 2007. [190429]

Margaret Hodge [holding answer 29 February 2008]: Information published on 15 February from the Office for National Statistics’ International Passenger Survey showed that the tourism balance of payments deficit for tourism for the 12 months to December 2007 was £19.4 billion.

The deficit for the final quarter of 2007 was £4.8 billion, £120 million lower than that for the same period in 2006.

Tourism: Northumberland

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the value of expenditure made by overseas tourists
3 Mar 2008 : Column 2129W
visiting (a) County Durham and (b) Northumberland in (i) 2005, (ii) 2006 and (iii) 2007; and if he will make a statement. [188833]

Margaret Hodge: The information requested is contained in the table. Figures for County Durham and Northumberland for 2007 are not available.

Spend by overseas residents
£ million
	2005	2006
County Durham	43	34
Northumberland	19	14
Source: International Passenger Survey (ONS)

Tourism: Standards

Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport by what means his Department benchmarks the UK’s performance in attracting overseas visitors against other European countries; and if he will publish the results of the latest such benchmarking exercise. [190432]

Margaret Hodge [holding answer 29 February 2008]: DCMS does not benchmark the level of overseas visitors to the UK against other European countries. In a rapidly changing international travel environment, with new destinations and national markets emerging rapidly, the UK’s share of the world market is a more meaningful measure of performance. The 32.2 million inbound visitors to the UK in 2006 made up 3.6 per cent. of the world total, and their spending at £15.4 billion was 4 per cent. of world turnover. These percentages were up 0.1 per cent. and 0.2 per cent. respectively on 2005.

For purposes of illustration, visits to the UK rose by 28.2 per cent. over 1997 to 2007, according to the Office for National Statistics’ International Passenger Survey, compared to increases in number of arrivals over the same period in France (18.8 per cent.), Italy (20.5 per cent.), and Spain (34.6 per cent.).

Communities and Local Government

Bed and Breakfast Accommodation: Fires

Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many bed and breakfast establishments have had fires caused by guests in the last five years. [190773]

Mr. Dhanda: Information on the number of fires involving guests, solely in bed and breakfast establishments in England is unavailable. However, statistics on the number of fatal and non-fatal casualties in accidental
3 Mar 2008 : Column 2130W
fires in commercially run establishments (with sleeping accommodation) (2002-06) is in the following table. The statistics include fires in hotels and boarding houses as well as bed and breakfast establishments and are not limited solely to guests as a breakdown of the data held to this level is not possible.

Table 1: Accidental fires and casualties in commercially run establishments (with sleeping accommodation), England 2002-06( 1)
	Total
2002
Fires	692
Fatal casualties	0
Non fatal casualties	44
2003
Fires	583
Fatal casualties	0
Non fatal casualties	52
2004
Fires	670
Fatal casualties	0
Non fatal casualties	35
2005
Fires	514
Fatal casualties	0
Non fatal casualties	29
2006
Fires	572
Fatal casualties	1
Non fatal casualties	66
(1) Provisional Notes: 1. Including hotels, boarding houses and Bed and Breakfast establishments. 2. Excluding incidents not recorded during periods of industrial action in 2002 and 2003. 3 Figures for 2006 are provisional and subject to change.

Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many fires in bed and breakfast establishments have been caused by cigarette smoking in the last five years. [190772]

Mr. Dhanda [holding answer 29 February 2008]: Information on the number of fires caused by cigarette smoking, solely in bed and breakfast establishments, in England, is unavailable. However, statistics on the number of fires in commercially run establishments (with sleeping accommodation) where smoking materials were cause of fire (2002-06) is in the following tables. The statistics include fires in hotels and boarding houses as well as bed and breakfast establishments.

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3 Mar 2008 : Column 2132W

Table 1: Accidental fires and casualties in commercially run establishments (with sleeping accommodation) by source of ignition. England 2002-06
	Total	Smokers’ materials	Cigarette lighters	Matches	Cooking appliances	Space heating appliances
2002
Fires	692	119	8	6	168	43
Fatal casualties	0	0	0	0	0	0
Non fatal casualties	44	10	1	0	11	3
2003
Fires	583	94	1	1	163	16
Fatal casualties	0	0	0	0	0	0
Non fatal casualties	52	13	0	0	6	2
2004
Fires	670	65	1	1	172	27
Fatal casualties	0	0	0	0	0	0
Non fatal casualties	35	11	0	0	8	2
2005
Fires	514	61	2	3	151	12
Fatal casualties	0	0	0	0	0	0
Non fatal casualties	29	6	1	0	12	1
2006
Fires	572	71	0	2	144	20
Fatal casualties	1	1	0	0	0	0
Non fatal casualties	66	8	0	0	12	1

	Central and blowlamps
	Water heating appliances	Welding and cutting equipment	Electrical distribution	Other electrical appliances	Candles	Other	Unspecified
2002
Fires	29	26	53	168	22	49	0
Fatal casualties	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Non fatal casualties	0	2	5	6	3	3	0
2003
Fires	9	7	58	141	42	29	28
Fatal casualties	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Non fatal casualties	0	0	2	16	9	3	1
2004
Fires	29	15	65	208	30	42	15
Fatal casualties	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Non fatal casualties	1	0	2	9	0	1	1
2005
Fires	18	11	55	143	20	29	9
Fatal casualties	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Non fatal casualties	2	0	2	3	2	0	0
2006
Fires	36	6	74	136	14	35	35
Fatal casualties	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Non fatal casualties	0	2	5	29	3	0	4
(1 )Provisional. Notes: 1. Including hotels, boarding houses and Bed and Breakfast establishments. 2. Excluding incidents not recorded during periods of industrial action in 2002 and 2003. 3. Figures for 2006 are provisional and subject to change.

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