§ Ms McCaffertyTo ask the Minister without Portfolio (1) what steps he will take to encourage the commissioning of original works of art, for the Millennium Dome, by faith communities; [29696]
(2) what plans he has to assist faith communities in financing their contributions to the Millennium Dome interior, with particular reference to those which will not use National Lottery funding. [29695]
§ Mr. Mandelson[holding answer 18 February 1998]: The New Millennium Experience company (NMEC) is working closely with faith communities through the Lambeth Group—which brings together representatives of the faith communities to contribute to planning of the Millennium—to ensure that the Dome includes exhibits which reflect the contribution of, and are relevant to, faith communities. A member of the Group is being financed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to advise the NMEC on handling faith issues within the Dome. The Lambeth Group has also discussed finance issues. I am attending the meeting of the Group on 23 February and will be interested to hear from the faith communities how these discussions might develop further.