§ Mr. EvansTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total cost has been to public funds of the millennium dome project. [107951]
§ Mr. McNultyThe New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) was responsible for building the dome and running the Millennium Experience. NMEC was allocated £628 million of National Lottery funds from the Millennium Commission for the Millennium Experience, which included the associated national programme of events across the United Kingdom as well as the dome at Greenwich. NMEC is currently in solvent liquidation and it is expected that some £25 million of this grant facility will not be required.
Up to the end of December 2002, English Partnerships (EP) had incurred a total cost of £22.9 million. This includes, from 1 July 2001—when EP took over the ownership of the dome—£4 million for the management, maintenance and security of the dome; £6.5 million for decommissioning the contents of the dome and its site in preparation for the future long-term use; and £5.7 million in connection with the sale process. It also includes £6.7 million for the previous competition to find a long-term use for the dome. All of these costs incurred by EP in relation to the dome will be recovered from sale proceeds.