§ 27. Mr. Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield)What action he is taking to ensure that the millennium dome will enable the best British design and innovation to be exhibited. [37434]
§ The Minister without Portfolio (Mr. Peter Mandelson)The dome itself is a flagship of British design and innovation—Richard Rogers's design, in scale and construction, shows the world the best of the nation's talent and creativity; the content will be a reflection of the spectacular imagination of British companies and British-based designers.
§ Mr. SheermanDid my hon. Friend see the report by Business Strategies last week pointing up the vital importance to this country's future wealth creation of the creative industries, including those in design and innovation? As so much interest is being expressed by people at home and overseas in visiting the dome, will he ensure that the impact of the dome and what happens in it are not just felt during its time, but will influence future creativity, innovation and design as we go into the millennium?
§ Mr. MandelsonMy hon. Friend makes a good point, with which I agree. It is extraordinary that some people in this country like to carp and sneer at our creative industries and at what they call "cool Britannia". My hon. Friend is right to draw attention to the Business Strategies report of last week, which noted that the creative industries contribute some £50 billion to our national economy and that they will be the fastest-growing source of new jobs between now and 2006.
While I am on the subject of jobs, I should say that in today's Evening Standard, it is estimated that millennium tourism will create 50,000 new jobs. That is what the Evening Standard calls a "jobs bonanza". I do not care what the paper calls it: it will be good news for many people and their families in this country.
§ Mr. Francis Maude (Horsham)Will the hon. Gentleman confirm that the dome's token nod to British content, which is apparently to be called "UK@ Now", is being designed by a Frenchman? Is that the Frenchman who described the dome as "very un-British", which the Minister said last week he took as "a great compliment"? Does he agree with the spokesman for the dome who, when the story about the French designer came out, said:
As far as we are concerned David Bentheim is doing it himself but if he wants to farm it out to someone else that is cool with us.Does that not make a mockery of the Prime Minister's brave words at the launch that the dome is
a display of confidence in the creativity and talents of our people"?Presumably he meant British people.
§ Mr. MandelsonI notice that, the better we do and the more progress we make in constructing the millennium 473 dome and its contents, the weaker the right hon. Gentleman's questions become. One day he will give us all a shock and say something positive about the millennium dome, which was, after all, his party's original idea. However, perhaps it is just very cool in today's Conservative party to pour cold water on the ideas and vision that were originally shown by his right hon. Friends.