§ Mr. SumbergTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made on the Manchester 2000 Olympic bid; and if he will make a statement on Government support.
§ Mr. HowardThe details of the formal bid submitted by the Manchester Olympic Bid Committee to the International Olympic Committee will be made public today. I am arranging for a copy of the candidature file and the executive summary to be placed in the Library of the House.
My hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government and Inner Cities previously announced on Tuesday 26 January—Official Report column 600—that the Government are providing up to £75 million to support the bid in advance of the IOC's decision on the nomination. In addition, the candidature file sets out the undertakings made by the Government if Manchester is successful. In particular, the Government will ensure that all the necessary facilities will be built, partly by private finance and partly by substantial public funding. We also intend to legislate at the earliest opportunity following the IOC's nomination of Manchester to ensure that the Organising Committee for the Games has the necessary powers to plan and implement this event. The Government are backing wholeheartedly Manchester's bid for the 2000 Olympic Games.