§ Mr. SandersTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) if the Resorts Taskforce will report on(a) health and safety, (b) employment, (c) environmental and (d) other regulations as they affect hotels and guest houses in seaside resorts; [117928]
(2) if the Resorts Taskforce will report on the effects of the six bed rule on small hotels and bed and breakfast establishments; [117921]
(3) if the Resorts Taskforce will report on the effects of UK (a) membership and (b) non-membership of the euro on (i) domestic tourism and (ii) foreign visitors to the UK; [117933]
(4) if the Resorts Taskforce will report on the effects of VAT rates on accommodation (a) in the UK and (b) in the UK's European competitors; [117934]
(5) if the Resorts Taskforce will report on the deregulation of dry rooms in licensed hotels. [117935]
§ Janet AndersonThe Resorts Taskforce has not been set up specifically to consider any of the above points, many of which apply more widely than just to resorts. However, I will draw them to the attention of the Taskforce chairman, Peter Moore, who is a board member of the English Tourism Council (ETC).
The Resorts Taskforce was set up by the ETC in response to "Tomorrow's Tourism", which sets out the regeneration of our traditional resorts as one of its 15 key action points. The Taskforce's remit is to suggest ways in which resorts can be repackaged for tourism purposes and to highlight examples of best practice in successful resort regeneration for tourism. In order to produce its report it will consider a range of issues, including the history of resorts, the problems they face now, other matters affecting them and possible solutions based on existing best practice and new ideas.