Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the number of British citizens that have lost investments in the Paradise Golf and Beach Resort.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains committed to providing support where possible to the British investors who lost their investments in the Atlantic Paradise Golf & Beach Resort (APGBR) project. Although strictly a legal matter for the Moroccan courts, His Majesty's Ambassador to Morocco regularly raises the issue of compensation with senior Moroccan interlocutors. On 7 July he met the Wali of Tangier and the President of the Commercial Court of Tangier to specifically discuss APGBR. These meetings were constructive but not conclusive. We will continue to urge the Moroccan authorities to find a speedy resolution to this dispute.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he last met with representatives of the Moroccan Government.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains committed to providing support where possible to the British investors who lost their investments in the Atlantic Paradise Golf & Beach Resort (APGBR) project. Although strictly a legal matter for the Moroccan courts, His Majesty's Ambassador to Morocco regularly raises the issue of compensation with senior Moroccan interlocutors. On 7 July he met the Wali of Tangier and the President of the Commercial Court of Tangier to specifically discuss APGBR. These meetings were constructive but not conclusive. We will continue to urge the Moroccan authorities to find a speedy resolution to this dispute.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will hold discussions with Invest Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board on the potential for increasing tourism during the return of the Open Championship to Royal Portrush in 2025.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
The Open Championship in 2025 represents an opportunity for Northern Ireland to showcase its world-class tourism capabilities, scenery and outstanding golfing facilities. Royal Portrush was a successful setting for the 2019 Open Championship.
The Government would be glad to work with an incoming Northern Ireland Executive, and Northern Ireland Economy Minister, on maximising the economic benefits of the event.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his Department’s publication entitled Government procurement card HMT spend greater than £500: January 2023, published 31 May 2023, for (a) which individuals and (b) how many nights was accommodation purchased at (i) Hotel Taj Samudra on 20 January 2023 and (ii) JW Golf on 23 January 2023; and what was the purpose of those stays.
Answered by Gareth Davies - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The purpose of these stays was to attend the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meetings for G20 as well as provide diplomacy and engagement with the Sri Lankan government.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Moroccan counterpart on the Paradise golf and beach resort.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains committed to providing support where possible to British investors who lost their investments as a result of the Paradise Golf & Beach Resort property fraud. His Majesty's Ambassador to Morocco regularly raises the issue with senior interlocutors where appropriate, and is pursuing calls with relevant senior officials in Tangier to press for further action. In the interests of the British nationals who invested in the scheme in good faith, we will continue to urge the Moroccan authorities to find a resolution to this dispute as quickly as possible.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many low speed vehicles will be purchased under the terms of the contract agreed with the Bahrain International Golf Course Company on 13 December under procurement reference 338450/1158186; and for what purpose they will be used.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
Following market engagement activity in Bahrain, UK Strategic Command leased, not purchased, three low speed electric vehicles. These vehicles are required to transport personnel around the naval facilities in Bahrain due to the environmental conditions and are used solely for that purpose. The vehicles are more suitable than alternatives, owing to the low- speed road network of the UK Naval Support Facility in Bahrain and the adjacent US Naval Support Facility.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to promote UK holiday destinations to people abroad.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Many events took place in 2022 which attracted tourists to different locations across the UK, from the Commonwealth Games to Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations and a variety of UNBOXED events. These sporting and cultural events provided attractive incentives for domestic tourists to explore destinations across the country and for international tourists venturing overseas post-pandemic to make the UK a destination of choice.
Earlier this year, VisitBritain ran its Welcome to Another Side of Britain marketing campaign. The £14 million GREAT-funded campaign put the spotlight on Britain’s cities, hit hard by the absence of international visitors, as well as on messages of welcome and reassurance to targeted markets with the greatest potential for quickly driving back value - including Europe and the US.
2023 is shaping up to be another year of exciting major events across the UK which will attract many international tourists. From HRH King Charles’ coronation in May; to the major international music event, Eurovision, which will be hosted on behalf of Ukraine in Liverpool; and sporting events such as the Golf Open and the World Snooker Championships, these historic events will continue to shine a spotlight on the UK and continue to support the UK’s tourism sector to thrive.
The Government will work with VisitBritain to market these events to our key international markets, with a campaign in the new year.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department’s publication of spending over £500 using a government procurement card from January to May 2022, which five companies or venues received the highest shares of the £69,585.97 paid to suppliers under the merchant description Member Clubs/Sport/Rec/Golf; and what was the main purpose of those payments.
Answered by Alec Shelbrooke
The five organisations that received the highest shares of ePC spend on the merchant group 'Member Clubs/Sport/Rec/Golf' between January and May 2022 and the main purpose of those payments are as follows:
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development - Professional memberships and personal development
Nuffield Health - Gym memberships to meet military requirements
Just Paintball - Cadet training equipment
Medway Yacht Club - Physical/Adventurous training
Snowdome Ltd - Physical/Adventurous training
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what data his Department holds on the number of municipal golf courses that have been in operation in England in each of the last ten years.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The Department does not hold the data requested.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of adding golf club and premise to the businesses that are eligible to receive the Local Restrictions Support Grant.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed), closed for new applications on 31st March. My Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in the Budget that from 1st April one-off Restart Grants of up to £6,000 for non-essential retail and up £18,000 for hospitality, leisure, personal care and accommodation businesses will be available to support them to reopen as Covid-19 restrictions are relaxed.
Where a business does not meet this criteria, they may be eligible for further grant support via the Additional Restrictions Grant a discretionary scheme, administered by Local Authorities. Local Authorities are free to provide support that suits their local area including to support those businesses not required to close but which have had their trade severely affected by the restrictions. The Chancellor has announced an additional £425m will be made available via the Additional Restrictions Grant meaning that more than £2bn has been made available to Local Authorities since November 2020.
Local Authorities are responsible for the administration of all Grant Schemes and queries regarding eligibility should be made locally.