To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate for the numbers employed in the Yorkshire tourism industry and the value generated for the current year; and if he will make a statement.

The information is not available in the form requested, but it is estimated that in June 1989 the number of employees in employment in the hotel and catering industry in Yorkshire and Humberside was 96,000. It is estimated that overseas and domestic visitors staying in the Yorkshire and Humberside tourist board region for one night or more spent a total of £654 million in 1988.

Will my hon. Friend confirm that this is Britain's fastest growth industry and that it is not enhanced by Socialist smears about it being a Mickey Mouse industry? Will he hold urgent discussions with the Secretary of State for Education and Science about the possibility of having more training programmes to enable more youngsters to enter this great industry?

My hon. Friend is entirely right in what he says. A sector which can produce £19 billion and 38,000 jobs a year does not justify the description given to it by the Labour party.