Oral QuestionDepartment for Business and Trade

If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.

Tabled: 24 April 2025Answered: 1 May 2025

Asked by

Tony Vaughan

LabourFolkestone and Hythe

Answering Minister

the Secretary of State for Business and Trade

Answer from Hansard

Gareth Thomas

I know from personal experience that there are some great hospitality and tourism businesses in Kent, and we want to see them do even better in the coming months and years. That is why we are seeking to support the sector through initiatives such as business rates reform and the licensing taskforce, which has just started work. It is also why the Government will launch a national visitor economy strategy this autumn, as we seek to welcome 50 million international visitors annually by 2030—and many of them, I suspect, will visit Kent.