Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Leader of the House

Oral Answers to Questions

Shabana Mahmood Excerpts
Thursday 20th January 2011

(13 years, 3 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Hugh Robertson Portrait Hugh Robertson
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My definition of zilch is not 23 businesses and 36 contracts—that is not zilch in anybody’s language, even Scottish. Also, Scottish athletes will benefit from the changes made to the lottery. I would say to the hon. Gentleman that 23 businesses, 36 contracts and a lot of athletes is not zilch.

Shabana Mahmood Portrait Shabana Mahmood (Birmingham, Ladywood) (Lab)
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8. What steps his Department is taking to support jobs and economic growth in the creative industries and leisure sectors.

Lord Vaizey of Didcot Portrait The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (Mr Edward Vaizey)
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The creative and leisure industries have an important role in driving economic growth. We are therefore undertaking a number of initiatives to support these sectors, including a digital and creative industries growth review, the creation of Creative England, which will have a hub in Birmingham, a new overseas marketing fund for tourism, and the development of a new tourism strategy that will help to support the growth in tourism and leisure industries.

Shabana Mahmood Portrait Shabana Mahmood
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My constituency includes some major employers in the leisure, creative and tourism industries, from the premiership football clubs, Aston Villa and Birmingham City, to the Symphony hall and Hippodrome theatre. With the regional development agencies being abolished and local enterprise partnerships having no statutory role to promote tourism, what are the Government doing to support these vital jobs in my constituency?

Lord Vaizey of Didcot Portrait Mr Vaizey
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I understand that Visit England has a transition team, which the hon. Lady should call. I take this opportunity to heap praise on Birmingham as a creative and cultural centre. Perhaps everyone in the House could welcome the new Birmingham central library, in which some £200 million is being invested—a good news story for libraries.