§ Mr. Dudley Smithasked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he will consider taking new initiatives on his Department's behalf to enable the West Midlands to establish tourism as one of its main industries.
§ Mr. MeacherMy Department already provides grants-in-aid to the English Tourist Board and to the British Tourist Authority totalling about £15 million. Most of it is spent on publicity, marketing and research to the benefit of the country as a whole, including the Heart of England area. From these funds, the English Tourist Board also contributes to 809W the income of the non-statutory regional tourist boards, and in the last financial year provided more than one-third of the Heart of England board's finance.