§ Sir Peter EmeryTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much Government money per head of population was spent on tourism and tourist attractions in Devon in the most recent year for which figures are available. [67317]
§ Janet Anderson[holding answer 25 January 1999]: Government funding for the national tourist boards supports tourism in Devon and every other county. In 1998–99, some £35 million will go to the British Tourist Authority (BTA) and £9.7 million to the English Tourist Board (ETB). The ETB in turn grants around £504,000 to the West Country Tourist Board (WCTB) which covers Devon and other counties in the South West of England. It is not possible to distinguish support for Devon from support for other counties.
Tourism also benefits from Lottery awards and funds from European programmes. In 1998–99, lottery awards of over £8 million (just over £7.50 per head of population) and over £1.4 million (just over £1.30 per head of population) from various European programmes has so far been granted to projects in Devon from which tourism stands to benefit.
In addition, the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy estimates that in 1997–98 local authority expenditure on tourism promotion in Devon was just over £2.8 million (over £2.60 per head of population).