Oral Answers to Questions

Priti Patel Excerpts

Thursday 13th September 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I remind the House that topical questions and answers are supposed, by convention, to be briefer.

[Priti Patel (Witham) (Con)]

T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.

[The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Maria Miller)]

The thoughts of everyone in the Chamber will be with the families of the 96 victims of the Hillsborough disaster. Before I turn to the distressing report published by the Hillsborough independent panel yesterday, I want to place on the record my sincere thanks to everyone involved in the organisation of the London Olympics and Paralympics.

As has been said, 2012 will be remembered as the best ever summer in our sporting history. At the start of the Olympics, Lord Coe said:

“These games will bring out the best in us”,

and our athletes answered that call. They did so through not only what they achieved but how they achieved it. They are incredible role models and they did the country proud. But they are not alone. The success of the games was due to thousands of businesses and organisations—

[Maria Miller]

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

I would like very briefly to note yesterday’s panel report on the Hillsborough disaster and say that our thoughts are with the families.

[Priti Patel]

I congratulate my right hon. Friend on coming to her new position and associate myself with her opening remarks.

Tourism supports 54,000 jobs in Essex and contributes more than £3 billion to our local economy. Will she join me in congratulating the tourism sector in Essex and attend the Visit Essex tourism conference on 14 November to see at first hand the excellent work done there and the contribution that these individuals make to our local economy?

[Maria Miller]

I thank my hon. Friend for that question. The Olympics also played their part in Essex, which hosted the mountain biking competition, at Hadleigh farm. The Government will continue to do everything they can to support tourism in Essex, and I hope to come along and see it for myself in the not-too-distant future.