Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Part One of the National Disability Strategy, published 28 July 2021, what recent steps her Department has taken to work with the Inclusive Tourism Action Group to promote the National Accessible Scheme.

We have continued to engage with stakeholders to assess how we can support inclusive and accessible tourism as the sector recovers from Covid-19. This includes England’s Inclusive Tourism Action Group, organised by VisitEngland and comprising a range of leading accessible tourism stakeholders.

The Inclusive Tourism Action Group runs the National Accessible Scheme which rates tourist accommodation based on their suitability for guests with accessibility requirements. VisitEngland will shortly undertake a full strategic review of the National Accessible Scheme, which will be informed by new consumer research. Members of England’s Inclusive Tourism Action Group will be key consultees for the review.

The Government is committed to improving the lives of disabled people. In July 2021 the government announced the National Strategy for Disabled People, which includes our ambition to make the UK the most accessible tourism destination in Europe by 2025. The strategy takes into account the impacts of the pandemic on disabled people and focuses on the issues that disabled people say affect them the most in all aspects and phases of life.

I am hosting a meeting with Cross-Government Accessibility Ambassadors next week, including the Accessibility Ambassador for the Tourism sector, as we look to further progress the ambitions set out in the National Strategy for Disabled People.