Tourism (Hansard, 8 December 1997)

§ 8. Mr. Ennis
What plans he has for encouraging the improvement of training and qualifications in the tourism industry. [17983]

14. Mr. Michael Jabez Foster
What plans he has for encouraging the improvement of training and qualifications in the tourism industry. [17989]

§ Mr. Tom Clarke
My Department recognises the importance of a skilled, world-class work force in the industry and the Government's new deal initiative has training at its very heart. I was therefore delighted by the high level of interest and support shown at the tourism, hospitality and leisure new deal conference, which was hosted by my Department and the Secretary of State on 24 November.

§ Mr. Ennis
Is my hon. Friend aware that tourism is now the single biggest industry in Yorkshire and Humberside, with more than 140,000 employees? Given the industry's significance to Yorkshire and Humberside, did he have an opportunity at the recent new deal conference to assess its response to the Government's initiative?

§ Mr. Clarke
My hon. Friend will be delighted to hear that there was an excellent and positive response, and that almost 50 tourism organisations have already indicated their willingness in principle to participate in the new deal scheme. Last Thursday and Friday, I was delighted to visit Yorkshire; I shall visit it again at the end of this week. I assure my hon. Friend that Yorkshire—with its skills and its genius—will continue to make the contribution that it is capable of making to the growth of real jobs not only in his region but in the rest of Britain.

Mr. Foster
In constituencies such as Hastings and Rye, tourism has often been regarded as a seasonal, low-paid employment sector. What plans does my hon. Friend have to create stability in that industry?

§ Mr. Clarke
My hon. Friend is absolutely correct. I have appointed a working group to report to the main forum on tourism on the very issue of the regeneration of seaside towns, including the resorts represented by my hon. Friend. We are encouraging a large number of initiatives, including the Norman Richardson house project, the London hotels training centre, the Springboard project and many others. My hon. Friend and the House can be assured that we regard youth employment, youth training and the creation of real jobs that lead to 659 well-motivated employees as essential to the future of tourism; without such incentive and encouragement, the industry will decline, as it would have done had the previous Administration remained in office.

§ Mr. Brady
I was interested that the Minister chose to link the new deal and the tourism industry. Does he accept that one of the shortcomings of such a link is that many people who work in tourism are seasonally employed and, therefore, may never be unemployed for the six-month period necessary to be party to the new deal? What is he planning to do to address that problem?

§ Mr. Clarke
I do not accept that. With proper planning, many such problems can be avoided. The hon. Gentleman referred to the industry and the prospects for the new deal. Perhaps I may remind him that 58 per cent. of those who were represented at our conference on the new deal said that they would make a contribution to it. May I also remind him that 86 per cent. of those involved in the British Hospitality Association said that they, too, would become involved?
The hon. Gentleman and the right hon. Member for South-West Surrey (Mrs. Bottomley) will know that, on occasions, the Secretary of State can be diffident. To communicate to them the spirit of appreciation of the new deal and our approach to tourism, I remind them of the words of Ken Robinson, who writes for the "Tourism Society Journal", and who said of my right hon. Friend: After the initial performance, audience participation was encouraged and this critic, for one, has to report that the initiatives"— on the new deal— were greatly praised by almost all present, the response was little short of a standing ovation.