§ 35. Sir G. de Freitasasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the Government will introduce legislation to make compulsory the registration of hotels in England as recommended by the English Tourist Board.
§ Mr. ChatawayI would refer the right hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Bristol, North-East (Mr. Adley) on 26th February.—[Vol. 851, c. 1055–6.]
§ Sir G. de FreitasAre we not the only country in the European Community 31 which has no official registration scheme? Is it not time that the Government looked at this matter seriously lest we fall behind our competitors in the tourist industry?
§ Mr. ChatawayWe are looking at the matter in considerable depth and carrying out wide-ranging consultations. Obviously, the introduction of a registration scheme has great implications in a major industry.
§ Mr. PavittWill the right hon. Gentleman at least get the large hotel chains to agree to put a notice on the inside of each bedroom door showing the amount to be charged for the room, as is done in all Continental countries?
§ Mr. ChatawayI will certainly bear that in mind.
§ Mr. MasonThe right hon. Gentleman certainly should, because he has in his possession a recommendation to that effect. Many months ago the English Tourist Board presented to him a report recommending the registration and classification of hotels and mentioning the notification of prices. Why are the Government vacillating? They had all their consultations with the English Tourist Board before the report was presented.
§ Mr. ChatawayThe proposals are not simply for England. The right hon. Gentleman may have noticed that the reaction of the Welsh Tourist Board was different from that of the English Tourist Board. It is imperative, before embarking on a major matter of this kind, that there should be thorough consultation with the industry as a whole.
§ Mr. AdleyMy right hon. Friend is surely aware that these consultations have been going on for three years. I recognise that many small hotel keepers might be concerned about the problem, but does my right hon. Friend agree that if he personally were to take upon himself the responsibility for explaining to small hotel keepers that they have a great deal to gain by registering and classifying, as the Welsh Tourist Board has shown to many small farmhouses in Wales, these consultations might be concluded to everyone's satisfaction?
§ Mr. ChatawayI have a great deal of sympathy with what my hon. Friend says. As he knows, the proposal from the 32 English Tourist Board is for registration and not classification. That is one of the areas in which there is disagreement.