§ 31. Mr. Rhodri Morgan (Cardiff, West)What proposals he has, through the New Millennium Experience Company, for celebrating the millennium in Scotland, Wales and the English regions. [37439]
§ The Minister without Portfolio (Mr. Peter Mandelson)The New Millennium Experience Company has established 12 national programme offices in the nine regions of England and in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to ensure that the millennium experience programme of UK-wide events and activities running before and during 2000 offers as many opportunities as possible for people across the country to take an active part. In addition, the company's 12 local offices will provide a one-stop shop source of information about how to take part in the millennium festival programme which will run during 2000.
§ Mr. MorganI am grateful to the Minister for that reply, as one just about old enough to remember with great fondness the 1951 festival of Britain, both on the 478 south bank and all the events in my home village of Radyr, which I now have the honour of representing. Does he agree that, while Greenwich will be essentially regarded as an urban festival, matters such as improving access to the countryside for 2000 and beyond are important? For many of us, the right to roam is as important as the right to dome, if not more so.
§ Mr. MandelsonI very much share my hon. Friend's sentiment. It is important that, in formulating ideas and, plans for locally based, do-it-yourself millennium celebrations and festivals, the matching funds from the millennium festival fund are sought by rural as well as suburban and urban areas. I hope that that will be the case. I shall ensure that the offices of the New Millennium Experience Company, which administers the millennium festival fund, seek to encourage and look kindly upon any such applications from local groups and organisations in rural areas.
§ Mr. Owen Paterson (North Shropshire)Over the recess, I met Mr. Stephen Martin of Virtex, which runs virtual reality systems that would allow the millennium dome to be enjoyed by every citizen in the country who has access to the internet. That project was encouraged by my hon. Friend the Member for Esher and Walton (Mr. Taylor), but the company has now learnt from a reliable source that a Japanese system might have been chosen. Why is that?
§ Mr. MandelsonI shall, of course, look into the matter; I have no detailed information on it at my fingertips. Wherever possible, we seek to make sure that the supplies for the dome, both for its construction and for its contents, come from British companies. If British companies have failed to compete successfully on this occasion, I very much regret that. However, as I said, I shall inquire with the company and see what the facts of the matter are.