§ Mr. Cordleasked the Secretary of State for Trade what was the total of public money made available to the hotel industry in England and Wales by way of grants during the year 1973–74; and what is the anticipated amount of such grants to be made available in the current financial year.
§ Mr. DeakinsGrants paid by the English Tourist Board under the Hotel Development Incentive Scheme for hotel projects in England completed by 31st March 1973 totalled £20,002,000 in 1973–74 and are expected to be £8 million this year. Similar grants paid to hotels in Wales by the Welsh Tourist Board, for which the Secretary of State for Wales is responsible, totalled £1,795,000 in 1973–74 and the provision this year is £200,000. The industry also benefits from financial assistance provided by the National Tourist Board for selected tourist projects. Grants of this kind approved by the boards for hotels were approximately £38,000 in England and £334,000 in Wales in 1973–74, and are an estimated £157,000 and £433,000 respectively this year.