London tourism must get fair share of F&M compensation

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 20th Aug 2001

London's tourist industry is more important to the national economy than the whole of the farming sector put together and should be given its fair share of the Government's compensation money, according to the capital's Liberal Democrat MEP, Baroness Sarah Ludford.

She said:

"Whilst the taxpayer is shelling out £5 billion for farming hit by the foot and mouth outbreak - with individual compensation cheques of up to £4 million - the tourist industry is receiving peanuts in comparison. But tourism in London alone is worth more than the whole of the farming industry across the whole of the country!"

In a reply to a letter from Baroness Ludford, the tourism minister Kim Howells MP conceded that lower foreign tourist numbers will mean that spending in London is set to fall by a massive £1.3 billion. Despite that, the minister identified only a little over £2 million set aside specifically for generating interest in visiting London. Nationally, less than £20 million has been set aside for tourism across the whole country.

The MEP continued:

"The money given to revive our tourist industry is easily dwarfed by the 37 cheques of more than £1 million each that have been sent to farmers, let alone the rest of the £5 billion that the taxpayer will have to spend on farmers as a result of this outbreak.

"This outbreak has hit many people very hard. If the Government is to give compensation then London must get its fair share."