§ Mr. MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to ensure that companies and individuals making donations or contributions to the millennium celebrations do not concentrate them disproportionately on the Millennium Experience. [31352]
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§ Mr. Chris SmithIndividual private sector sponsors will make their own decisions on where they should direct their support for Millennium celebrations. The Policy Directions for the Millennium Commission require all funded projects to be supported by a significant element of partnership funding and/or contributions in kind from sources other than the National Lottery. Match-funding has been set at at least 50% for capital projects and 10% for the Millennium Awards scheme of bursaries to individuals. The Commission's expenditure of £2 billion will therefore lead a total of around £4 billion of investment in the social and economic infrastructure of every part of the United Kingdom. To date, the Commission has offered a total of £1.24 billion to 186 capital projects around the country, and has allocated £200 million to the Millennium Awards scheme.
Private sector contributions to the Millennium Experience will also support the associated Millennium Challenge, a country-wide programme of events and activities organised by the New Millennium Experience Company. All four of the founding partners in the Experience (Tesco, British Telecom, Manpower and Sky) have made it clear that their support is intended both for the Dome and for the Challenge programme.