Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate his Department has made of the benefit to the economy from tourists visiting the Palace of Westminster.

My Department has not estimated the economic benefits from tourists visiting the Palace of Westminster. However, according to Visitor Services at the Houses of Parliament, over 1 million people visit the Parliamentary Estate each year, on average 200,000 of which are during Parliament's commercial openings on Saturdays and during recess periods. We understand that details of income generated from parliamentary commercial visitors will be published in the forthcoming House of Commons Commission annual report.