§ 13. Mr. AmosTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will meet the chairman of the Northumbria tourist board to discuss the further development of tourism in Northumberland; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ForthMy noble Friend Viscount Ullswater, who has ministerial responsibility for tourism matters within my Department, will meet officers and members of the Northumbria tourist board on 14 May. I welcorne the board's new five-year strategy and the increased participation in its work by the private sector, which should assist the development of tourism in the region.
§ Mr. AmosI am pleased to hear about the meeting on 14 May. As Northumberland is the most beautiful of counties, can my hon. Friend give more details of the measures that he is taking to make the promotion of tourism in Northumberland more effective both within the United Kingdom and overseas?
§ Mr. ForthI am delighted that my hon. Friend has taken the opportunity to praise the area which he represents. It is something that Conservative Members do 616 whenever the opportunity arises and which Opposition Members signally fail to do. My hon. Friend is right to draw attention to the many measures that are being taken, including the recent changes to the tourist board's constitution and the setting up of a commercial members group, both of which are positive and welcome steps. Many other measures are being taken. The key to them—this illustrates the forward-looking and positive nature of the board—is the way in which it is working with the English tourist board, with local commercial interests and with local authorities to ensure that there is a co-ordinated approach in praising the very aspects of the region to which my hon. Friend has drawn attention. That is the way forward. I wish that many other tourist boards would follow the example of the Northumbria tourist board.
§ Mr. BeithDoes the Minister accept that tourism is important to the economy of rural Northumberland? Does he recognise that the removal of section 4 grants has weakened the ability of the industry to invest and that the 10.9 per cent. increase in the uniform business rate is hitting many small businesses in the tourist trade quite hard?
§ Mr. ForthI do not accept the hon. Gentleman's point. The opening of the £20 million Copthorne hotel and the £7 million Novotel in Newcastle in 1990—to take just two examples from the hon. Gentleman's region—illustrate the general point that the inducements that were available under section 4 were not necessary to allow investment to be sustained. It is possible and likely that up and down the country we shall see a continued level of investment without the inducements that section 4 offered.