§ The Earl of Clancartyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What provision there is for members of the public to view the Millennium Dome at present; and whether there might be provision for the public to visit the inside of the Millennium Dome to view its preparation before the official opening. [HL2359]
§ The Minister of State, Cabinet Office, (Lord Falconer of Thoroton)There are a number of means by which the public can gain information on the Millennium Experience, which incorporates the Dome at Greenwich and the linked National Programme of events. The New Millennium Experience Company's Visitor Centre has been in operation since late 1997 and is located at the Royal Naval College in Greenwich. The Visitor Centre contains up to date information on the Millennium Experience, including the Dome and its contents. Since opening the Centre has been visited by over 350,000 people. The company's website (Dome2000.co.uk) also contains significant information and detail about what is happening and what will be happening at the Dome; in April the website received 1.2 million page impressions; the total number of page impressions since December 1998 is 9 million.
The Millennium Experience Dome site for which the company has responsibility is a construction site and subject to stringent health and safety requirements. The construction and fit-out programme is complex and subject to considerable time constraints and any interruption to it for the purposes of general visits would not be acceptable. The company has a facility 83WA at the site (the Dome Preview Centre) in which strictly controlled and limited events and promotions are held where they are judged to be in the interests of the company's business prior to opening to the general public. It is not normal practice for large construction projects to provide for general public access; nor is it normal practice for large visitor attractions to provide for public access prior to opening. NMEC does not propose to make any such provision.
§ The Earl of Clancartyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What groups of people are being allowed in to visit the Millennium Dome site prior to the official opening; and how much is being spent on such visits. [HL2360]
§ Lord Falconer of ThorotonThe New Millennium Experience Company's policy is that visits to the Dome site should support the project's business objectives and the company's accountability to Parliament and to the Millennium Commission as major funders of the project through Lottery grant. Regular visits are therefore organised for the media to promote the Millennium Experience through the regional, national and international press and broadcasters. Visits are also organised for the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee as part of their programme of inquiries into the project. In order to promote involvement in the Millennium Experience's National Programme, the company has welcomed visits by Ministers, MPs, Peers and local government representatives. Foreign government representatives have also visited the Dome and, in addition, events involving confirmed and potential sponsors are held. The costs of these visits (excluding travel costs which are usually met by the visitors) primarily involve refreshments, and, such as they are, they are met by the company from relevant budgets—such as Marketing, Commercial, or the National Programme. The overall costs to the company are minimal.