HL Deb 09 February 1999 vol 597 cc104-6

3.1 p.m.

Lord Montagu of Beaulieu

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper. In so doing, I declare an interest as President of the Southern Tourist Board.

The Question was as follows: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they regard it as desirable for the boundaries of the new regional development areas to coincide with those of the regional tourist boards.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

My Lords, the boundaries of the regional development agencies, which were approved by Parliament in the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998, match those of the Government Offices for the Regions. It would be sensible for the boundaries of the regional tourist boards to be aligned with those of the RDAs. It is for the regional tourist boards themselves to determine their own regions as they are not government bodies.

Lord Montagu of Beaulieu

My Lords, I thank the Minister for that helpful reply. First, in view of the significance of tourism for the creation of employment, will the Government ensure that the needs and potential of tourism are fully recognised by the RDAs, and that those interests are represented on their boards? At present, they are conspicuously absent.

Secondly, how will the Government ensure that important tourist attractions and destinations are not disadvantaged when the RDA boundaries within which they are located exclude the area in which they are best marketed for tourism? I refer, for instance, to Bournemouth which would like to stay in the south and not be in the south-west.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

My Lords, I cannot accept that tourism is not represented on regional development agency boards. Tourism is not represented on all the boards but there is representation where it is an important part of the regional economy. If there are examples where tourism should be more widely represented, I should be glad to hear of them.

It is for the regional tourist boards to determine their own regions. In Cumbria, for example, a separate tourist board would rather be linked with the north-east than with the north-west. It would be sensible for it to maintain links with both boards which might have common interests with it.

Baroness Miller of Hendon

My Lords, the Government assured this House that the boundaries of the RDAs were not to be "fixed in stone for all time". Will the Minister assure the House that the existing administrative regional boundaries will not be used as a fait accompli to prevent the boundaries for any future English development agencies being fixed by the Boundary Commission after full and proper consultation with the public?

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

My Lords, I am not sure that I understand the noble Baroness's reference to "English development agencies".

Baroness Miller of Hendon

My Lords, I referred to English regional agencies.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

My Lords, I do not understand that reference.

Baroness Miller of Hendon

My Lords, clearly I should have read my notes. However, one is always frightened because Members yell "Reading, reading!". I refer to English regional assemblies.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

My Lords, the Government have always resisted blandishments from the Conservative and Liberal Democrat Front Benches to anticipate what the boundaries of democratically elected English regional assemblies might be. We have resisted the temptation to assume that they would be the same as those of the regional development agencies because clearly it is of enormous democratic importance that regions in this country should determine their own boundaries by agreement.

Lord Newby

My Lords, the Minister seems to imply that the Government support the introduction of regional assemblies in the English regions outside London. If that is so, can the Minister give some indication of when we may see some progress, if only to give the democratic support which the RDAs will need in order to maximise the economic potential of the English regions?

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

My Lords, government policy has not changed since we stated in our manifesto that the prerequisites for democratic regional assemblies in England would be the wishes of the local authorities and the wishes of the people in the region. That position has not changed. The justification for regional development agencies stands on its own legs in the sense that those are business creation economic regeneration organisations designed for a country where only London is a region with GDP per head above the European average.