Tourism industry given cash help

Tourism has been severely hit by the crisis

The Scottish Executive has announced a £13.5m package designed to help businesses survive the foot-and-mouth crisis.

Enterprise Minister Wendy Alexander unveiled details of the emergency measures to assist the tourism industry on Wednesday.

These include £5m so the Scottish Tourist Board - now known as visitscotland - can convey the message that the country is open for business.

There will also be £5m for the enterprise networks to provide emergency advice and assistance, and £3.5m to help fund rates relief for businesses suffering severe hardship.

Wendy Alexander: Preparing to start the fightback

But the Scottish National Party has described the package as too little too late.

The announcement coincided with news of a first Scottish case of foot-and-mouth outside Dumfries and Galloway.

It was confirmed just outside the region at Newcastleton, 17 miles south of Hawick in the Borders - bringing the total number of cases in Scotland to 94.

Unveiling details of the funding package, Ms Alexander said: "The start of the fight-back begins next Tuesday with the Scottish Travel Fair which is being held in the exhibition centre in Glasgow.

"Everybody is saying this is the start of the fight-back in the industry and we will kick start the recovery programme from there."

Hard-hit businesses

She said Scotland was better placed than any other part of the UK to respond to the foot-and- mouth crisis - with a single committee, chaired by Rural Development Minister Ross Finnie, and now these extra measures.

The £5m will allow visitscotland to waive subscription fees from hard-hit businesses to area tourist boards, set up a helpline and fight the misconceptions about holidaying in Scotland.

A spokesman for visitscotland said the organisation was anxious to ensure that tourism is not killed off by efforts to save agriculture.

The cash for the enterprise networks will go on special advisers, survival planning and help for all kinds of businesses from taxi firms to local butchers.

Kenny MacAskill: Too little too late

At least £3.5million will go towards helping councils extend business rates relief to those suffering real hardship.

Finance Minister Angus MacKay said relief from non-domestic rates was currently available, at the discretion of the billing local authority, to any business demonstrating hardship.

"Local authorities can of course also offer rates relief for premises which are temporarily out of use because of the outbreak of foot-and-mouth," he added.

He said the scheme would cover 80% of the businesses in the eligible local authority areas.

'Coherent message'

But the SNP's enterprise spokesman Kenny MacAskill dismissed the package as belated and inadequate.

Speaking on BBC Holyrood Live he said: "What we need is a clear, consistent and coherent message.

"We actually need to get local people to get back to activities on their doorstep.

"We still don't know the extent of the crisis or how long it is going to go on".

As well as more financial help, he called for a television and radio public information campaign.