Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Tourism Industry

Thursday 16 September 2021 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 3 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Government provided over 35 billion for the tourism, leisure, and hospitality sectors in grants, loans, and tax breaks during the pandemic.
  • A 10 million national lottery days out campaign will launch to stimulate demand for off-season day trips.
  • The Tourism Industry Council works to ensure the sector is informed about key Government initiatives and career opportunities.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Sally-Ann Hart
Business & Trade
Context

The question arises from the need to support the tourism industry's recovery after the pandemic, which has been financially strained.

Question

What steps her Department is taking to support the recovery of the tourism industry. The Government have already provided over £35 billion for the sector in grants, loans and tax breaks during the pandemic. What additional steps are being taken beyond this?

Answer from Nigel Huddleston

The Government have already provided more than £35 billion for the tourism, leisure and hospitality sectors in the form of grants, loans and tax breaks throughout the pandemic. The £10 million national lottery days out campaign will launch next month to stimulate demand for off-season day trips to tourist sites across the UK.

Answered
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Q2 Sally-Ann Hart
Employment Business & Trade
Context

The tourism and hospitality industry is vital for local and UK economies, offering a wide range of opportunities. There's concern about attracting young people into this sector.

Question

Tourism and hospitality has often been viewed as a Cinderella industry, but it is crucial to the economy post-covid-19, with over 30% contribution in constituencies like Hastings and Rye. What steps are being taken to encourage young people to choose this industry?

Answer from Nigel Huddleston

We recognise the importance of recovering from the pandemic with a more resilient tourism industry offering exciting, good-quality jobs and long-term careers. We work closely with the Tourism Industry Council to ensure that the sector is signposted to key Government initiatives such as the £2.5 billion national skills fund and the UK-wide kickstart scheme.

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Q3 Jim Shannon DUP Strangford
Northern Ireland Business & Trade
Context

Tourism is a key marker for economic growth in constituencies like Strangford, and collaboration between different government bodies is essential.

Question

What has been done in co-operation and partnership with the Northern Ireland Assembly and Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to ensure that tourism benefits across all parts of the United Kingdom?

Answer from Nigel Huddleston

We work very co-operatively with our colleagues in Northern Ireland, including Members in this House who talk passionately about tourism. The Tourism Industry Council has representation from Northern Ireland contributing significantly to positive relationships.

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Q4 Steve Double Con
Business & Trade Benefits & Welfare
Context

There's a limit on how much accommodation staff can offset provided by their employer, which is an issue in areas like Cornwall where hotels need to attract and retain staff.

Question

Despite the busy summer season in Cornwall, many hotels were operating at less than capacity due to staffing issues. With the current £58 allowance for accommodation offsets, will the Minister commit to reviewing this figure?

Answer from Nigel Huddleston

I make the commitment to work across Departments to see what solutions can be found regarding the issues raised by my hon. Friend's constituents, who provided compelling information during our recent conversation.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Commitment is vague and not specific about timeline or details of review

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