TRANSCRIPT
Kate Hoey: - Sports Minister
John Greenway - Shadow Sports Minister
and John Humphrys
John Humphrys:
What precisely is your allegation, Mr Greenway since Kate Hoey did unquestionably do some public business while she was in Valencia?
John Greenway:
It's two things. Firstly, I've no objection to going to the match, if I'd had the chance I'd have gone myself. We both support Arseneal football club and I expect that we're both disappointed very much that they lost. But is this visit really part of a structured campaign to encourage tourists from overseas particularly from the near continent to come to Britain? Was it simply a coincidence that there happened to be a match in Valencia? We will obviously ask questions about what the trip has cost. The second point is the real issue is, that we don't believe that the government treating this crisis in the tourism industry seriously enough.
John Humphrys:
You're talking about the foot and mouth crisis.
John Greenway:
Let's just concentrate on tourism. The British Tourist Authority asked for 拢22m of the government to actually promote tourism in Britain abroad and they were given 拢2m by the Treasury. Our understanding is that the Culture, Media and Sport Department supported the bid but the Treasury said no. I think a lot of people in a struggling industry with small businesses fighting very hard to survive will think it's very odd that money can be found for the Minister to go it's a big coincidence that there was a match and Kate being in Valencia that the money can be found for that but not sufficient funds to help funds to help them and not sufficient funds for the BTA to promote tourism.
John Humphrys:
Alright. Kate Hoey, it is a bit of a coincidence, isn't it?
Kate Hoey:
It's not a coincidence at all. This was the first time ever that we've had three British teams in the quarter finals of what is Europe's premier club championship. I think John Greeway would've been asking why I didn't go and fly the British flag at one of these matches. I didn't go to the Manchester United match 'cos I've already seen Manchester United play in Turin some time ago. This was an opportunity for me and my 24-hours, it actually cost around 拢500 which John can ask the question and he'll get the response where I hosted a very important and useful meeting with all the tour operators and trade representatives from the whole of the Valencia area, listening to their concerns, their perceptions about Britain, explaining to them what was going on. I also did quite a lot of work with the Valencia police and the Metropolitan police on the hooligan issue. I have to say to John that I'm really surprised at him because to me this was a really useful opportunity but also what happened there was we were able to explain to the Spanish press how we were tackling hooliganism ...
John Humphrys:
OK, but look ...
Kate Hoey:
We were doing a whole number of issues and I really do think that if he's complaining about something like this, then it does show how just really low level the Tories have got to. If he thinks that he's spending 24 hours as Sports Minister, I'm not really sure what he expects Sports Ministers to do.
John Humphrys:
Let me put this point to you. You are a fan of Arsenal. You'd have very much like to have seen this game anyway. Perhaps you'd have gone to see the game anyway. The fact is, that if had you not gone to see Arsenal play, you wouldn't have had these meetings. You the Sports Minister wouldn't have said spontaneously, oh I think I'll go to Valencia next week to peddle British tourism. You wouldn't have done that, you did it because it was Arsenal and you wanted to see the game.
Kate Hoey:
Look, I go to see various, very many British football teams - particularly when they're playing abroad. This was opportunity to fly the flag for British sport. I have to tell you that the Spanish press, the Spanish national television, the Spanish media were really very very keen to talk to me about what was happening in Britain, about what was happening in sport. They wanted to find out how we were doing so well. We had three British teams in the quarter finals. The fact that I'm an Arsenal supporter, I've hardly watched Arsenal this year. I think John Greenway I'm sure has watched Arsenal more than I have ...
John Humphrys:
That's not the point is it, the tax payer paid for you to watch your, the team ...
Kate Hoey:
The point ... the taxpayer I think got for 拢500 extremely good value for 24 hours in Valencia where I was able to do a lot of other things and actually I really do think that if he's saying that it's insensitive for the Sports Minister to go to a football match, then is he saying it's insensitive for me to go to the British Judo Championships on Saturday, to go to an angling event tomorrow ...
John Humphrys:
Let me ask him. Are you saying that John Greenway, why shouldn't she go to a football match, it just happened to Arsenal.
John Greenway:
Look, there are two issues here. Firstly, this was picked up yesterday morning by the press, by the media immediately having seen I suspect Kate's interview on the digital broadcast of the match. We have reacted with our view. If Kate is saying that the visit is justified because of the departmental work she has done, well, that's fine then we've heard it. But I still come back to my prime concern which is that we don't believe that the government is taking the issue of tourism seriously enough, is this visit part of a structured visit. Are we now going to structure a programme, are we ...
John Humphrys:
Is it, Kate Hoey?
Kate Hoey:
Every minister when they're abroad takes the opportunity to do lots of other things connected with promoting Britain and that's exactly what I did and I've nothing to be ashamed about and I really do think it was extremely useful and worthwhile trip and few flag for this country.
John Humphrys:
Kate Hoey, John Greenway, thanks both very much.
Back to April interviews
Please Note:
This transcript was typed from an on-air broadcast and not copied from an original script. Because of the possibility of mis-hearing and the difficulty, in some cases, of identifying individual speakers, the 91热爆 cannot vouch for its accuracy.
