I do not intend to rehearse the arguments that have been made so eloquently by several hon. Members, especially my hon. Friends the Members for Aberdeen South (Dame Anne Begg) and for Paisley and Renfrewshire North (Jim Sheridan) about the impact on Scotland and the wider aviation industry. Like colleagues on both sides of the House, I have had hundreds of e-mails on this subject, and I am delighted that it would appear that the Treasury is beginning to take heed of the arguments.
The issue that I wish to raise is one with which you are familiar, Mr Deputy Speaker. It was first raised with me at last year’s Commonwealth parliamentary conference by many of our colleagues from elsewhere in the Commonwealth, especially the Caribbean. You will be aware, Mr Deputy Speaker, of the excellent work that the right hon. Member for Saffron Walden (Sir Alan Haselhurst) has been doing as the chairman of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association to highlight to the Treasury the damaging impact that the current APD rules have on the Caribbean.
It is worth noting that some Caribbean countries, particularly our overseas territories, have not yet moved to a fully mature local economy, and in some the percentage of gross domestic product coming from tourism is astounding. In Antigua, it is 75%; in Anguilla, one of our overseas territories, it is 65%; and in the British Virgin Islands—I am the chair of that APPG—is 58%. The way in which APD is structured has a negative impact on those Caribbean countries, because their rather larger neighbour, the United States, is classed as single zone for travel, so regardless of whether someone is going to Washington DC or Honolulu they pay the same rate of APD. That has a significant impact on the Caribbean’s ability to compete. Of course, it is not just about tourism or business going from the UK to the Caribbean. My hon. Friend the Member for Slough (Fiona Mactaggart) tells me that she has a vast number of constituents originally from Anguilla and that for those who wish to travel home to see relatives, loved-ones and friends the cost is prohibitive.
The right hon. Member for Saffron Walden has previously made representations to the Treasury about this matter, and the Economic Secretary, whom I welcome to his place, will be familiar with the representations made earlier this year by the Caribbean Council of Ministers. I would be grateful, however, if he could indicate whether in the near future he would be prepared to meet a cross-party delegation of Members with an interest in the Caribbean, led by me and the right hon. Member for Saffron Walden—I am sure that the hon. Member for Romford (Andrew Rosindell) and others would be keen to take part too—to discuss the impact
of APD on the Caribbean, particularly the overseas territories. I would also be grateful if the Minister could indicate whether the Treasury plans to meet the Premiers and Chief Ministers of the Caribbean overseas territories affected when the overseas territories council meeting, which the Foreign Office holds every year, takes place in December.
Finally, I congratulate the hon. Member for Witham (Priti Patel) on securing this excellent debate. Almost every Member has been thoughtful and added something to the debate, and I look forward to hearing further contributions from other colleagues.
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