§ Mr. MaudeTo ask the Minister without Portfolio if he will make a statement on the role of Sir Cameron Mackintosh in the Millennium Experience exhibition, indicating his remuneration. [16766]
§ Mr. MandelsonSir Cameron Mackintosh agreed, in June 1997, to advise the New Millennium Experience Company in respect of the arena show. He agreed to do this without remuneration.
§ Mr. MaudeTo ask the Minister without Portfolio if he will ensure that no(a) members of the Board and (b) other employees of the New Millennium Experience Company benefit financially from contracts made by the company. [16765]
§ Mr. MandelsonThe New Millennium Experience Company is incorporated under the Companies Act and its Board members are subject to the duties of directors under company law. Additionally, all Chairman and Members of the Boards of non-departmental public bodies, a status applying to the NMEC, are required to comply with the requirements of the "Code of Best Practice for Board Members of Public Bodies" which was published following the 1992 Cadbury Report.
The NMEC Board operates under statutory requirements and best practice in respect of all its business, including contract decisions. I am confident that the individuals involved and the systems in place ensure that there is no room for personal financial benefit from the award of contracts.
As regards employees, the NMEC's Employee Handbook is an extension of terms and conditions of employment and precludes any financial gain of this kind. Contravention of these provisions would represent gross misconduct and could lead to dismissal.
§ Mr. MaudeTo ask the Minister without Portfolio if the Advisory Committee on Advertising was consulted over the appointment of M and C Saatchi in respect of the Millennium Experience. [16764]
§ Mr. MandelsonNo.
§ Mr. MaudeTo ask the Minister without Portfolio how long advertising agencies were given to tender for the New Millennium Experience Company contract; and what factors governed the length of the consultation period. [16763]
§ Mr. MandelsonThere were 43 calendar days between the date of the advertisement in theOfficial Journal of the European Communities and the submission of bids. Interested companies were given 10 days within which to submit a request to pre-qualify. This request had only to contain standard corporate information—company profile, management structure and responsibilities, CVs for lead personnel and other staff, case histories of three projects of similar or analogous nature, scope of services, turnover 166W and billings for the previous three years and the forecast for 1997, and experience of previous work for Government and other public sector bodies.
Following six days of consideration of the requests to pre-qualify, NMEC shortlisted those companies it considered should be invited to tender (ITT) and invitations were issued. The shortlisted companies were required to respond to the ITT with bids within 27 days.
These procedures were pursued in accordance with domestic and European regulations governing open competitive tendering. Under European procurement rules accelerated procedures can be undertaken. With the agreement of Treasury Solicitor the NMEC adopted accelerated procedures for the communications contract because of the urgency arising from need to prepare for the launch of the Millennium Experience's National Programme.
§ Mr. MaudeTo ask the Minister without Portfolio when the New Millennium Experience Company appointed M and C Saatchi to conduct its advertising. [16762]
§ Mr. MandelsonThe New Millennium Experience Company announced the appointment of M and C Saatchi on 22 August to develop and implement an integrated communications campaign including advertising, having received approval from the Millennium Commission on 21 August.
§ Mr. MaudeTo ask the Minister without Portfolio what is the role of(a) Mr. Bill Muirhead and (b) Mr. Jeremy Sinclair in the New Millennium Experience Company; what is their remuneration; when each was appointed; and what role they played in the appointment of M and C Saatchi as the advertising agency for the company. [16761]
§ Mr. MandelsonNeither Bill Muirhead nor Jeremy Sinclair has a role in the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC). They currently receive not remuneration from NMEC nor have they received any in the past. Mr. Muirhead and Mr. Sinclair assisted the Company (then called Millennium Central Ltd.) on a part-time basis as acting, unpaid communications advisers until June 1997 when they stood down from the role. Neither took any part in the competitive tendering process—from drawing up and preparing the brief, to selecting a communications advertising agency.
§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Minister without Portfolio when the Millennium Dome is scheduled for completion; and when the Millennium Experience will be fully operational. [16971]
§ Mr. MandelsonThe construction of the Millennium Dome is scheduled for completion in September 1998. The Experience will open on 31 December 1999.
§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Minister without Portfolio what compensation has been paid to the original contractor for the supply of the covering of the Millennium Dome. [17525]
§ Mr. MandelsonNone. Negotiations between the New Millennium Company and the contractor under the terms of the original contract are continuing.
167W
§ Mr. MaudeTo ask the Minister without Portfolio what contingency plans he has made in respect of the Millennium Experience for the possibility that the Jubilee Line might not be fully operational by January 2000. [17590]
§ Mr. MandelsonLondon Underground Ltd. have assured me that the Jubilee Line Extension will be able to cope with the number of visitors anticipated by the New Millennium Experience and that it will be open in good time to do so.