§ Mr. Stan Thorneasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will appoint to the tourist board members with a direct working experience of the industry; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Norman LamontThe majority of the present board members of the British Tourist Authority and the English Tourist Board have direct working experience of the tourism, travel or leisure industries.
§ Mr. Stan Thorneasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when grants under section 4 of the Tourism Act which have been authorised during 1983 will be paid.
§ Mr. Norman LamontPayments of section 4 grants are made when the projects to which they relate are satisfactorily completed. In the case of larger projects, stage payments may be made in respect of satisfactorily completed work as the project proceeds.
§ Mr. Stan Thorneasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if he will make it his policy not to 383W permit grants under section 4 of the Development of Tourism Act 1969 to be made to companies able to obtain funds from other sources;
(2) if he is satisfied with the operation of section 4 of the Development of Tourism Act 1969 in relation to defining need; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Norman LamontIt is already a requirement of the section 4 scheme that assistance may be offered only in respect of desirable projects which would otherwise not go ahead at all or in the form or time scale proposed. The assessment of need takes account not only of an applicant company's available resources but also, in appropriate cases, the extent to which alternative investment options, which are more attractive to the company, are competing for those resources.