Millennium Dome (Hansard, 26 October 2001)

§ Mr. Yeo
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) what non-financial requirements will be made of the purchaser of the Millennium Dome; [10624]
(2) what criteria have been established to determine the success of bids to buy the Millennium Dome. [10625]

§ Ms Keeble
We want to get the best deal for the taxpayer. Therefore, any sale of the Dome will be required to provide a worthwhile and sustainable future for the Dome and value for money. We will also want to be assured that bidders' proposals can be successfully delivered.

§ Mr. Yeo
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) what his estimate is of the value of the Millennium Dome and site; [10623]
(2) when he will publish details of plans to sell the Millennium Dome. [10626]

§ Ms Keeble
I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for East Surrey (Mr. Ainsworth) on 25 June 2001,Official Report, column 21W.

§ Mr. Yeo
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will provide a detailed breakdown of the costs of the Millennium Dome since the closure of the Millennium Experience. [10622]

§ Ms Keeble
Since the closure of the Millennium Experience on 31 December 2000, the expenditure incurred on the Dome by the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) and English Partnerships (EP) is as follows:

Dome running costs¹—£3.3 million

Decommissioning²—£9.6 million.

The lease of the Dome site to NMEC ended on 30 June 2001, and reverted to English Partnerships (EP) as planned. All costs incurred by NMEC following the end of the Millennium Experience will be paid from the grant already approved by the Millennium Commission. EP will recover their Dome related costs from eventual sale proceeds. ¹ Includes rates, utilities, security, maintenance and insurance. ² Costs incurred in preparation for the future use of the Dome.

§ Mr. Yeo
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions on what date(a) he, (b) other Ministers and (c) officials in his Department, first spoke to (a) representatives of Legacy plc, (b) representatives of the Wellcome Trust, (c) the Duke of Westminster or his colleagues and (d) any other party to discuss the acquisition of the Millennium Dome, following the failure of the Nomura deal. [10688]

§ Ms Keeble
To reveal details of any discussions could compromise the negotiating process and would be against the public interest. It is of course open to any interested party to make their interest known.