Oral Answers to Questions

Scott Benton Excerpts

Wednesday 8th July 2020 Commons Chamber

[Alexander Stafford (Rother Valley) (Con)]

What steps the Government taking to help support the tourism industry in Wales during the covid-19 outbreak.

[Scott Benton (Blackpool South) (Con)]

What steps the Government are taking to help support the tourism industry in Wales during the covid-19 outbreak.

[Mrs Sheryll Murray (South East Cornwall) (Con)]

What steps the Government are taking to help support the tourism industry in Wales during the covid-19 outbreak.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I appeal to the Secretary of State: we have a lot of questions to get through; let us have shorter questions and answers.

[Scott Benton]

My right hon. Friend will appreciate the interdependency between the economies of north Wales and north-west England. We often see holidaymakers travelling between both regions, and in Blackpool, we are always pleased to welcome visitors from north Wales. What steps is my right hon. Friend taking to improve transport links between the two regions, which will boost not only tourism, but the economy more generally in a post-covid-19 world?

[Simon Hart]

I will endeavour to be briefer than I have been so far. We have already delivered a £50 million project of railway upgrades in north Wales. We have commitments to the A55 improvements. There are numerous other accelerated plans for infrastructure. As I said in answer to an earlier question, tourism and covid do not recognise political boundaries. Such attempts to improve infrastructure will continue.