Baroness Harris of Richmond
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they intend to support tourist attractions, such as the Jorvik Viking Centre in York, which suffered flooding over the Christmas period.
The Earl of Courtown (Con)
My Lords, this Government are committed to supporting all businesses, including tourism businesses, affected by the floods. We are currently working with VisitEngland and VisitBritain to highlight what is on offer and to encourage visitors to book holidays to the region in the Easter period. In the longer term, we are supporting the tourist industry through the development and delivery of a five-point plan which sets out our vision for tourism in this Parliament.
Baroness Harris of Richmond (LD)
My Lords, I thank the Minister for that reply. When I visited the Jorvik Viking Centre in York last week, it was a scene of utter devastation. The centre attracts more than 400,000 visitors a year and has had more than 18 million visitors since it opened in 1984. It is a world-renowned tourist attraction and educational centre, provided by the excellent York Archaeological Trust, of which I am a member and which depends largely on its funding from the Viking centre. The trust could be destroyed by this enormous loss of revenue. The City of York Council and North Yorkshire County Council are anxious to see this important centre brought back to life as soon as possible, as we all are. So will Her Majesty’s Government urgently match any funding that the councils can make possible to enable and encourage this to happen?
The Earl of Courtown
My Lords, the noble Baroness is quite right in saying that the Jorvik Viking Centre is of international renown, and it is particularly important to all the schools in the area. Indeed, many noble Lords have come up to me since yesterday to say that they had visited it themselves. Arts Council England is in active discussion with museums in Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cumbria following the flooding and is considering what support can be provided. This Government have made available more than £200 million to support recovery efforts from the winter storms of 2015-16. Tourism businesses in flood-affected areas that have been directly or indirectly impacted are eligible for the flood recovery grant.
Lord Campbell-Savours (Lab)
My Lords, Cumbria was equally affected, particularly the tourist industry in Cockermouth, Keswick and Kendal. Will Ministers now reopen negotiations with the insurance industry to re-examine Flood Re, which currently excludes commercial premises? Many businesses in the flooded areas are faced with huge bills, and they know that there will be floods in the future, against which they will have no insurance protection.
The Earl of Courtown
My Lords, the noble Lord is quite right. It is not just Cumbria: Yorkshire, Lancashire and the other counties in that whole area are all suffering from flood damage. I can confirm that Ministers are in discussions with the insurance industry at the moment.
Baroness Afshar (CB)
My Lords, I would like to put on record the extraordinary generosity during this dilemma of the citizens of York, who, from day one, provided for everyone as much as they could. York is a point that pulls tourists northwards, away from London’s centre of tourism. Is it not essential at this point not only to applaud and recognise the generosity of the people of York, but to allocate a specific sum to renovate the museum, which cannot be accessed at the moment, in order to extend tourism?
The Earl of Courtown
My Lords, the noble Baroness is quite right that the Jorvik Viking Centre is of great importance in York. One of the most important things we have been looking at in the five-point plan for tourism is transport, in order to spread tourism away from the centre to the other parts of the United Kingdom. The Rail Safety and Standards Board is running a £1 million competition to boost ideas to get more tourists on to the railways and out and about in the United Kingdom.
Lord Cormack (Con)
My Lords, does my noble friend accept that, whilst we much appreciate the general sympathy that he is extending on behalf of the Government, here we have a specific and very important tourist attraction which is also reinforced by real scholarship? The height of the tourist season is not all that far away, so can this project please be looked on with real urgency?
The Earl of Courtown
My Lords, a number of activities and institutions in that area have been affected by the flooding, as has been said. The issue is of prime importance, and I can tell my noble friend that the Government are taking this extremely seriously. As I have said, we are urgently having talks with the insurance industry so that things can go forward.
Lord Stevenson of Balmacara (Lab)
The noble Earl is good to remind us of the extent of the flooding and the damage that has been done, but we must be very grateful that, due to the heroic efforts of the workers in the Jorvik centre, we are going to retain the ability to see the last remaining Viking sock in the museum premises. However, the question is really about what will happen in the interim, because we are talking about closures of up to a year while the works are being done. What steps will the department take to try to ensure that the artefacts that have been put in storage are available for education and other purposes?
The Earl of Courtown
My Lords, I cannot give exact details on the situation in the Jorvik centre at present. I will write to the noble Lord and place a copy in the Library regarding the exact position, particularly in relation to the Viking sock, which is of course of national importance.
Lord Lee of Trafford (LD)
The situation is actually still extremely serious. The noble Lord mentioned Cumbria, and I was told yesterday that forward bookings are 50% down on last year. Can he say whether all efforts are being made to rebuild the infrastructure? Are private contractors being incentivised, or are the military still being used?
The Earl of Courtown
My Lords, the noble Lord is quite right about the importance of the work relating to the flood water and the maintenance of the drainage infrastructure. Some £171 million is being ring-fenced in real terms over the course of this Government to carry out spending on the maintenance of assets such as defences, plants and watercourses in the United Kingdom.