§ Mr. McCrindleTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have been held with the Spanish authorities regarding the behaviour of young British males in holiday centres; what action is proposed to combat their activities; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. EggarI visited Spain from 12 to 14 June 1988. I had frank and useful talks on tourist security and418W behaviour of British visitors with local and regional authorities in Alicante and Valencia, and in Madrid. Some 3,000 extra policemen are being sent to the main coastal resorts, Seville and Grenada for the peak summer period, and a publicity campaign to give practical advice to tourists about security will be launched by the Spanish authorities shortly. We are exploring a number of further practical measures including restrictions on alcohol sales.
We shall be continuing our public education campaign both here and in Spain to reduce as far as possible the small minority who tarnish Britain's image abroad. The Association of British Travel Agents and the major British tour operators also recognise the need to advise their clients on the spot about behaviour and security and we shall be pursuing further initiatives with them. In addition, in conjunction with other interested bodies, we shall be looking at the possibility of curbing excessive consumption of alcohol at airports prior to departure.