§ Mr. PendryTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage which of the four options, I, II, III or IV, outlined in the European Commission's Green Paper on Tourism were supported by(a) the British Tourist Authority, (b) the Welsh tourist board, (c) the Northern Ireland tourist board, (d) the Scottish tourist board, (e) the Confederation of British Industry, (f) the National Trust, (g) the British Resorts Association, (i) the Association of District Councils and (i) the Rank Holiday Organisation. [1475]
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§ Mr. SproatThe tourist boards indicated the following preferred options:
- British Tourist Authority/English Tourist Board jointly—Option III
- Welsh Tourist Board—Option III
- Northern Ireland Tourist Board—No preferred option specified; option III most appealing
- Scottish Tourist Board—Option III
Of the other organisations to which the question refers, copies of responses were received from two, and they indicated support for the options indicated below:
- Confederation of British Industry—Option III
- British Resorts Associations—Option IV
Most of these organisations indicated that they wanted a higher profile for the tourist industry in Europe, but did not want more regulation.
§ Mr. PendryTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will list all the organisations which were consulted by her Department before the Government published their official response to the European Commission Green Paper on Tourism. [1476]
§ Mr. SproatIn considering the Government's response to the Green Paper, my Department sought the views of the following organisations:
- Association of British Travel Agents
- Association of Leading Visitor Attractions
- Association of Recognised English Language Services
- British Holiday and Home Parks Association
- British Hospitality Association
- British Incoming Tour Operators Association
- British Resorts Association
- British Retail Consortium
- British Tourist Authority
- Confederation of British Industry
- European Tour Operators Association
- Hotel and Catering International Management Association
- Hotel and Catering Training Company
- Joint Hospitality Industry Congress
- Restaurateurs Association of Great Britain
- World Travel and Tourism Council
Copies of responses or comments were also received from the Automobile Association, the Council for the Protection of Rural England, the Federation of Small Businesses, the National Council of Hotels Associations, the Royal Automobile Club and the World Tourism Organisation.
My right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Northern Ireland, for Scotland and for Wales also consulted a number of organisations, as did the British Tourist Authority and English tourist board.
§ Ms RuddockTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage (1) what alternative courses of action from those detailed in "Tourism: Competing with the Best" were considered in any environmental appraisal undertaken by his Department; [254]
(2) what procedures have been put in place by her Department to monitor the environmental impacts arising from the implementation of "Tourism: Competing with the Best"; [255]
(3) if "Tourism: Competing with the Best" was (a) subject to and (b) modified on account of an environmental appraisal using the guidance contained in "Policy Appraisal and the Environment" produced by the 282W Department of the Environment; and if she will publish the appraisal. [253]
§ Mr. Sproat[holding answer 22 November 1995]: In developing tourism policy the Government have been guided by the main conclusion of the tourism and environment task force, namely, that serious environmental problems caused by tourism are limited to a few locations at specific times. The task force also stated that many of these problems could be resolved through improved management; the Government responded by funding guidance publications and pilot projects. The recent report of the Environment Select Committee on the environmental impact of leisure activities agreed with the task force, finding no evidence that tourism and leisure pose a serious, immediate or intrinsic threat to the environment.
"Competing with the Best" sets out a number of measures to help the industry become more competitive, and is part of the Government's overall competitiveness programme. Its aim is not to deliver specific developments with measurable environmental impacts, but to equip the industry to deal with ever-increasing competition in the world marketplace. As "Competing with the Best" states, the Government recognise that tourism growth can be sustainable only if a balance is maintained between the needs of visitors and the needs of visitors and the needs of the environment.