HL Deb 27 November 2001 vol 629 cc29-30WA
Lord Marlesford

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they have legal liability for any debts of the New Millennium Experience Company and English Partnerships respectively. [HL1359]

Lord Falconer of Thoroton

The New Millennium Experience Company is a limited company and the Government have no direct legal obligation to meet its liabilities.

English Partnerships is made up of two bodies, the Urban Regeneration Agency and the Commission for New Towns. As NDPBs, they stand at arms' length from the Government, operating under their own statute. Legal liability for the commitments they incur therefore lies with them. However, the Government provide them with the necessary resources to carry out an agreed programme and operate a control regime aimed at preventing the bodies creating obligations they cannot fulfil.