Where can I obtain tourist information about Britain?
Go to the VisitBritain Website.
Alternatively write to the BTA at:
British Tourist Authority
3rd Floor
Dilworth Building
Cnr Queen and Customs Streets
AUCKLAND 1
Tel: (09) 303 1446
Fax: (09) 377 6965
or
British Tourist Authority
Thames Tower
Black's Road
LONDON W6 9EL
Tel: 0044 181 846 9000

Where can I find out about customs regulations?
For Duty Free allowances for tourists, go to Customs Allowances on the British High Commission website.
For information about customs regulations contact:
The Excise Advice Centre
Dorset House
Stamford Street
London SE1 9NG
ENGLAND
Tel: 0044 171 202 4227
Fax: 0044 171 202 4131
Website: http://www.hmce.gov.uk/

Do Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own language?
At the start of the 20th century half of the population of Wales were able to speak Welsh, a language belonging to the Celtic family. However, the numbers of Welsh-speaking people have steadily declined, and today only about a fifth of the population of Wales speak the language.
Both the government and voluntary groups have taken steps to revive the use of Welsh. Bilingual education in schools is encouraged, and there has been an extended use of Welsh for radio and television programmes.
Gaelic, also a language of Celtic origin, is still spoken by some 70,000 people in Scotland, with the greatest concentration of Gaelic speakers in the islands of the Hebrides. The word 'whisky', is derived from Gaelic uisce beatha or 'water of life'"
People in the Lowlands of Scotland have for centuries spoken Scots, a dialect derived from the Northumbrian branch of Old English and a completely separate language from Gaelic. This has its own recognised literary tradition as in the poetry of Robert Burns and has seen a revival in poetry in the 20th century.
Gaelic is also the language of the Irish people. It is still taught in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. In Northern Ireland at the time of the 1991 census there were 142,000 speakers of Irish Gaelic.

Where can I find the address of...?

The British Council VisitBritain Buckingham Palace Births, Deaths and Marriage Certificates Government Departments Members of Parliament

National Newspapers Political Parties Museums Television Companies Universities

 
The British Council
44 Hill Street, PO Box 1812, Wellington
Tel: 04 472 6049
Fax: 04 473 6261
Website: http://www.britishcouncil.org.nz
 
VisitBritain
3rd Floor, Dilworth Building, Cnr Queen and Customs Streets, Auckland 1
Tel: 09 303 1446
Fax: 09 377 6965
Website: http://www.visitbritain.com
 
Buckingham Palace
The address is:
Buckingham Palace,
London SW1A 1AA
 
Births, Deaths and Marriage Certificates
England and Wales
General Register Office Tel: 0870 243 7788 or 0151 471 4200
Office for National Statistics Fax: 0044 170 456 8315
PO Box 2
Southport
MERSEYSIDE PR8 2JD
Scotland
General Register Office Tel: 0044 131 314 0380
New Register House Fax: 0044 131 314 4400
EDINBURGH EH1 3YT
Northern Ireland
General Register Office Tel: 0044 1232 235 211
Oxford House Fax: 0044 1232 252 044
49-55 Chichester Street
BELFAST BT1 4HL
 
Government Departments
These are listed in the telephone directory (Central London area) and in parliamentary guides such as the PMS Parliamentary Companion, or access all Government departments on the Government's website:
Website: http://www.open.gov.uk/
 
Members of Parliament
MPs can be contacted by post at:
House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA
Full details of MPs and their constituencies can be obtained from:
The Public Information Office
House of Commons Library, 1 Derby Gate, London SW1A 2DG
Tel: 0044 171 219 4272
 
National Newspapers
National newspapers are listed in the Willings Press Guide published by:
Reed Information Services
Windsor Court, East Grinstead House, East Grinstead, West Sussex RH19 1XA
Tel: 0044 1342 326 972
 
Political Parties
These are listed in parliamentary guides, or contact head offices.
Conservative and Unionist Party:
Tel: 0044 171 222 9000
Fax: 0044 171 222 1135
Labour Party:
Tel: 0044 171 701 1234
Fax: 0044 171 234 3300
Liberal Democrats:
Tel: 0044 171 222 7999
Fax: 0044 171 799 2170
 
Museums
Popular museums are listed in Museums and Galleries in Great Britain and Ireland, published by:
Reed Information Services
Tel: 0044 1342 326 972
 
Television Companies
TV companies are listed in the Blue Book of British Broadcasting, published by:
Tellex Monitors Ltd
Communications House, 210 Old Street, London EC1V 9UN
Tel: 0044 171 490 1447
Fax: 0044 171 490 8595
This guide gives exhaustive details of all television and radio companies in Britain.
The British Film Institute Film and TV Handbook, published by:
BFI, 21 Stephen Street, London W1P 2LN also lists television companies.
 
Universities
Contact the British Council's Education Officer on (04) 495 0851 who should be able to provide details of British universities and their addresses.
Alternatively, UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, is the central agency which acts on behalf of all British universities and most colleges of higher education. The UCAS Handbook lists the names and address of all British universities, together with details of their degree courses.
UCAS Handbook, Universities and Colleges Admissions Service,
Fulton House, Jessop Avenue, Cheltenham, Glous GL50 3SH
Tel: 0044 1242 222 444
Fax: 0044 1242 221 622

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