HC Deb 03 December 1998 vol 321 cc286-8W
33. Mr. Ian Bruce

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures he has put in place to ensure that Ministers dealing with sponsorship for the millennium dome do not deal with competition issues affecting those sponsors. [61331]

Mr. Mandelson

The New Millennium Experience Company is responsible for procuring and negotiating sponsorship for the Millennium Experience project.

34. Ms Ward

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the level of sponsorship for exhibits within the millennium dome. [61332]

Mr. Mandelson

The £120 million confirmed sponsorship raised by the New Millennium Experience Company so far covers 8 exhibit zones within the Dome, some associated National Programme strands, and Baby Dome. The exhibit zones are Communicate (BT); Body (Boots The Chemist); Work (Manpower); National Identity (Marks and Spencer); Learn (Tesco); Global (BAA and British Airways); Mind (British Aerospace and GEC); and Transaction (Corporation of London subject to matching funding by City Institutions). The National Programme strands are Future Talk (BT); Our Town Story (McDonald's); National Skills Festival 2000 (Manpower); Children's Promise/Voices of Promise (Marks and Spencer); and Tesco Schoolnet 2000. Baby Dome is being sponsored by Sky. Camelot, the official ticket distributor, is also an official partner sponsor.

35. Mrs. Laing

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the numbers expected to visit the millennium dome in its first year. [61333]

Mr. Mandelson

The New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) is charged by the Government and the Millennium Commission with developing the Millennium Experience project and operating it for one year. The NMEC estimate that 12 million people will visit the Millennium Experience during its one year of operation.

36. Mr. Bercow

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement about corporate sponsorship for the millennium dome. [61334]

Mr. Mandelson

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Wirral, South, (Mr. Chapman) on 3 December 1998,Official Report, columns 1038–39.

37. Mr. Grieve

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the number of zones planned for the millennium dome. [61336]

Mr. Mandelson

There will be 14 zones within the Millennium Dome.

Mr. Peter Ainsworth

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if he will publish the amounts budgeted to be spent on design and content within each of the zones in the Greenwich Millennium Exhibition; [61979]

(2) if he will publish the budgets for each of the zones in the Greenwich Millennium Exhibition. [61981]

Mr. Mandelson

[holding answers 1 December 1998]: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell) on 27 July 1998, Official Report, columns 82–83.

Mr. Peter Ainsworth

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with the BBC over broadcasting rights to the Millennium Exhibition in Greenwich. [61982]

Mr. Mandelson

[holding answer 1 December 1998]: The New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) is in discussion with a number of broadcasters, including the BBC, over broadcasting rights to the Millennium Experience at Greenwich.

Mrs. Lait

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has held with representatives of the Amalgamated Engineers and Electrical Union about transportation to the Millennium Dome. [61335]

Mr. Mandelson

Transport issues are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister and my hon. Friend the Minister for Transport in London.

Mr. McWalter

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if there will be a celebration of Britain's contributions to political theory during the last 1000 years in the Millennium Dome. [61665]

Mr. Mandelson

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 5 November 1998,Official Report, column 623.

Mr. Mitchell

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what provision will be made for the sale of traditional British food at the Millennium Experience. [61625]

Mr. Mandelson

The New Millennium Experience Company's policy is to provide as wide a range of catering services as possible to meet the varied needs of visitors to the Dome.

Mr. Prior

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the average daily number of visitors to the Millennium Dome. [61330]

Mr. Mandelson

The New Millennium Experience Company aims to attract an average daily number of 33,000 visitors.

Mr. Wyatt

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many expressions of interest he has received for the use of the Millennium Dome after 1 January 2001; and when he will make a decision on a short list of potential users. [61879]

Mr. Mandelson

[holding answer 1 December 1998]: Since 1 December 1997 when I invited expressions of interest in the Dome's future use, I have received 7 proposals. A working group set up by my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister is currently looking at the best mechanism for encouraging and assessing expressions of interest, including the timetable and the criteria against which bids would be judged. No firm decisions have been made yet but it is likely that a formal competition will begin in the New Year.

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