HC Deb 11 January 1989 vol 144 cc698-700W
Mr. Allen

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many section 4 schemes have been funded for tourist-related projects in Nottingham since 1985; how much investment has been generated in each from how much grant in each; and how many jobs, both full-time and part-time, have been created and at what cost per head in each case.

Mr. Lee

Six schemes have been offered assistance under section 4 of the Development of Tourism Act 1969 in Nottingham since 1985. Total investment is as follows:

Project Assistance offered Total eligible project cost Additional jobs expected by the applicant (full-time equivalent) Assistance per job
£ £ £
Waltons Hotel 18,173 98,173 2.0 9,087
TIC Nottingham 13,961 69,807 1.0 13,961
Talbot House Hotel 9,000 45,500 1.5 6,000
Bridgford Lodge Hotel 42,000 344,000 12.5 3,360
Tales of Robin Hood 155,000 950,000 21.0 7,381
Pageant of Robin Hood 150,000 1,358,212 29.0 5,172

Mr. Allen

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment who, other than his Department's civil servants and PA Management Consultants, are involved in the tourism policy review.

Mr. Lee

The review team consists of civil servants and PA management consultants. They have talked to nearly 150 individuals and organisations in the tourism industry and received submissions. Their report and its recommendations will be considered by Ministers before any decisions are taken.

Mr. Allan

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if the tourism review will include analysis of the role of all Government Departments involved.

Mr. Lee

Yes.

Mr. McCrindle

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will estimate the number of foreign tourists and British visitors to London in 1986–87 and 1987–88 and the value of tourism to London in those years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Lee

The following table gives the latest available information:

Tourist visits and expenditure in London
Numbers of visits (000s)1 Expenditure (£ millions)
1986 1987 1986 1987
Overseas residents 8,190 9,260 3,203 3,561
British residents 13,000 15,000 670 755
Total 21,190 24,260 3,873 4,316
1Visits of one or more nights only.
Sources: International Passenger Survey and British Tourism Survey Monthly.

Mr. McCrindle

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will estimate the number of jobs dependent on tourism in London; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Lee

The information is not available in the form requested, but it is estimated that in September 1988 the number of employees in employment in the hotel and catering industry in London was 173,000.

Mr. McCrindle

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will estimate the number of journeys made by foreign tourists and British visitors to London on(a) the underground, (b) the buses, (c) the trains and (d) other modes of transport and the total value of the journeys made in 1986–87 and 1987–88; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Lee

The information requested is not available. However, the London tourist board carries out a survey of a small sample of overseas visitors to London every summer. This survey gave the following information:

Percentage of all overseas visitors who used transport at least once during stay in London in:
per cent.
Mode of Transport Summer 1987 Summer 1988
Underground 90 92
Buses (LRT) 70 71
British Rail Train 25 18
The estimates from this survey were based on a very small and non-random sample and are, therefore, subject to considerable sampling error.

Mr. McCrindle

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will estimate the value of tourism to the hotel and catering industry in London in 1986–87 and 1987–88; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Lee

The information is not available in the form requested, but it is estimated that overseas and domestic visitors staying in London for one night or more spent a total of £3.9 billion in 1986 and a total of £4.3 billion in 1987.