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Written Question
Tourist Attractions: North East
Monday 28th March 2022

Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support the tourism industry throughout the North East.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

In January this year I chaired the first Inter-Ministerial Group on the Visitor Economy, where we discussed how the visitor economy could support the levelling up agenda. We are now running a ‘Policy Sprint’ to look at how we can turn that into reality by maximising opportunities for the North East of England. The overall aim is to deliver genuine impact in the region and beyond, and provide long term growth by realising the potential of the Visitor Economy to level up the North East.

VisitEngland’s current domestic campaign ‘Escape the Everyday’ features Newcastle and York as two of the highlighted cities. The ‘Escape the Everyday’ campaign encourages the “pre-nester”(18-34 year old) audience to book an English city break this spring.

We also launched the second round of the Escape the Everyday Destination Management Organisation (DMO) Recovery Marketing Fund in February, providing the opportunity for DMOs across England to apply for grant funding to deliver local marketing activities.

VisitBritain’s business events team work closely with NewcastleGateshead Initiative and has provided recent support to them in the form of free participation at MeetGB, free promotion on a virtual platform to promote the region to international association organisers, attendance at VB’s City Sustainability roundtable and providing them access to apply to the Business Events Growth Programme for International events.

VisitBritain’s business support team has engaged with the North East during a variety of events and programmes including the ‘Taking England to the World Education Programme’, a ‘Business Support Roadshow’ and the North East Tourism Awards, which were run by NewcastleGateshead Initiative.

VisitBritain has also hosted international travel trade buyers on educational visits across Britain, including four buyers from the Nordics Group who visited Newcastle and Northumberland. A variety of suppliers from the North East attended ExploreGB Virtual, including: Durham Cathedral, Hadrian's Wall Holidays, the Sandman Hotel Group and Alnwick Castle and Gardens.


Written Question
Coastal Areas: Lincolnshire
Wednesday 28th April 2021

Asked by: Lord Taylor of Holbeach (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Environment Agency about actions they can take to support the development of coastal communities in the Greater Lincolnshire area.

Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park

In 2019 the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) received £370,000 for its project “Future Proofing Coastal Tourism Sector”. The project provides support for local businesses in the Greater Lincolnshire area, via the creation of a Coastal Business/Provider Forum. In addition, a range of training courses will be delivered to employed and unemployed people, with the aim of upskilling them in preparation for employment. Coastal Champions will act as role models and link into the LEP Ambassador scheme.

The Coastal Revival Fund helps kick start regeneration of ‘at risk’ coastal heritage that are important to local communities and that have the potential to create opportunities for new economic uses or are facing neglect. As part of this fund, East Lindsey District Council received £50,000 towards the restoration of the Grade II listed Skegness Rockery Gardens.

The Environment Agency actively leads and supports partnership approaches that improve coastal communities across Greater Lincolnshire. This includes guiding planning policy and long-term investment strategies, to delivering high quality defences and a world class flood warning service. For example, the Environment Agency provides an annual beach nourishment scheme which reduces the risk of flooding to over 20,000 homes along the Lincolnshire coast, whilst also providing beaches to help attract visitors and support businesses.

The Lincolnshire Water Management Partnership has identified the coast as a priority, needing a long-term vision to ensure that it adapts to climate change. The Environment Agency is working with local government to develop an adaptation strategy that will optimise prosperity on the coast having regard to the challenge of climate change over the next 100 years. The purpose is to deliver a resilient pattern of spatial development tactically over the next 25 within a strategic view of the next 100 years.

The Environment Agency has also been engaged with the Boston, Connected Coast, and Greater Grimsby Town Deal Boards to help develop and advise on the investment plans and priority projects for the towns. The Town Deals announced in the March 2021 budget confirmed £91.2 million of Government funding for Greater Lincolnshire’s coastal communities including £21.9 million for Boston, £23.9 million for Mablethorpe, £24.5 million for Skegness and £20.9 million for Grimsby.

The English coast has enormous potential and the Government is determined to see it thrive all year round. Our coastal communities support a range of sectors including tourism, fishing and renewable energy. We will support coastal communities to unlock barriers to their development and growth, and to strengthen their appeal as places to live, work and visit.


Written Question
Garden Communities
Wednesday 3rd March 2021

Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of the creation of a UK Garden City scheme to (a) promote horticulture and (b) promote and reinvigorate green spaces that are vital to physical and mental wellbeing during the covid-19 outbreak.

Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The merits of such a scheme were considered when responding to a select committee report on Garden Tourism in 2019. Such a scheme risks confusion with the successful City of Culture competition and other extant schemes such as Britain in Bloom. The Government did not accept the committee's recommendation.

We do of course recognise the immense benefits of being able to access green spaces, such as parks and gardens, to mental and physical well-being. Defra is collaborating with the Ornamental Horticulture Roundtable Group on a Growth Strategy for the sector to help ensure the ornamental horticulture sector continues to thrive. This is industry led and underlined by research identifying key areas of opportunity for growth in the sector, including the growing importance of outdoor green spaces to health.

The Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan includes commitments to introduce stronger new standards for green infrastructure and to support local authorities to assess provision. Green infrastructure includes greenspace such as parks and woodlands and other environmental features such as street trees, hedgerows and green walls and roofs. Natural England and Public Health England have published a Rapid Scoping Review of Health and Wellbeing Evidence to inform the standards.

Natural England is testing the standards in trials with local authorities and developers, and they are due to be launched in 2022. The aim is to embed the standards in national planning guidance and policy to ensure that good green infrastructure is secured for all communities through the planning system.


Written Question
Gardens: Tourism
Tuesday 22nd October 2019

Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to respond to the recommendations made by the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee in its Fourteenth Report of Session 2017-19 entitled Garden design and tourism, HC 2002.

Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We submitted our full response to the Select Committee on October 1st 2019. This was published on October 10th 2019.


Written Question
Tourism: Gardens
Tuesday 8th October 2019

Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to respond to the recommendations made by the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee in its Fourteenth Report of Session 2017-19 entitled Garden design and tourism, HC 2002.

Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.


Written Question
Kew Palace: Boats
Tuesday 30th April 2019

Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he last met the (a) Royal Botanic Gardens and (b) Historic Royal Palaces to discuss the potential effect of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s proposals for older UK passenger boats on tourism and visitor numbers at (i) Kew Gardens and (ii) Kew Palace.

Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) consulted upon an Impact Assessment (IA) during a public consultation which ran from 6 November 2018 to 29 January 2019. Consultees were invited to comment on the validity of the analysis in the IA and encouraged to provide information that would help to strengthen this. The IA is now being updated to reflect the range of further information provided through consultee feedback.

This process is ongoing and policy officials in the MCA are happy to discuss impacts with any interested parties and take onboard relevant evidence for the assessment.


Written Question
Historic Buildings
Tuesday 23rd February 2016

Asked by: Lord Stevenson of Balmacara (Labour - Life peer)

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Historic Housing Association report, <i>The Economic and Social Contribution of Independently Owned Historic Houses and Gardens</i>, what assessment they have made of the possible closure of 70 historic buildings over the next five years, and what, if any, steps they are taking to support those business during this period.

Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

Member houses of the Historic Houses Association make an important contribution to the UK's tourism industry. They attract over 24 million visits per year with a total visitor spend of £1bn; and support 41,000 jobs.

Government has made no specific assessment of the possible closures of these historic houses. DCMS continues to work with the HHA and others, including the Heritage Lottery Fund, to support privately owned heritage.