§ Mr. Hickmetasked the Paymaster General whether he intends to proceed with a merger of the British Tourist Authority and the English Tourist Board.
§ Mr. TrippierFollowing consultation with my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and with Mr. Duncan Bluck, the chairman of both the British Tourist Authority and the English Tourist Board, we have concluded that there should be no further steps towards a merger of the two bodies. The present arrangements whereby the boards share common premises and have certain common services departments are working well. A merger, which would require amendment to the Development of Tourism Act 1969 would probably yield little further gains in efficiency and could lead to difficulties in the promotional activities of the BTA in relation to Scotland and Wales.