§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when it is next proposed to create city status in England; and if he will make a statement on the criteria for judging successful applicants. [68246]
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§ Mr. StrawHer Majesty has said that she intends to mark both the Millennium and the 50th Anniversary of Her Accession to the Throne, in 2002, by grants of city status to towns in the United Kingdom. City status is a rare mark of honour granted by Letters Patent; it is not a right which can be claimed by the fulfilment of certain conditions.