§ 19. Mr. SpearingTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement concerning the financial viability of the millennium exhibition at the Greenwich peninsula site. [15538]
§ Mr. FreemanThe Millennium Commission has agreed an indicative budget as a basis on which a grant of £200 million could be made. The commission has a target of £150 million for sponsorship and the balance will be raised from receipts and commercial income. I have every confidence that the operating company, Millennium Central—of which I am sole shareholder—will deliver on time an exhibition of which the nation can be proud.
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§ 23. Sir Michael NeubertTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what priorities he has given in his plans for the millennium exhibition at Greenwich to the provision of facilities for visiting the site by river. [15542]
§ Mr. FreemanRiver-based transport forms an important part of the transport strategy for the exhibition. We expect some 14 per cent. of the visitors will want to arrive by river boat and there will be sufficient new pier capacity on the site to cope with this demand. The operating company is consulting boat operators, the Port of London authority and other river interests to ensure that the Thames is able to play its full part in the millennium exhibition experience.