§ Maria EagleTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will announce the result of the competition for city status to mark the Millennium. [143421]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienI am pleased to announce that, on the advice of my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, Her Majesty The Queen has commanded that city status should be granted to Brighton and Hove, Inverness and Wolverhampton to mark the Millennium.
Although the grant it of the honour remains a rare mark of distinction, The Queen accepted the Prime Minister's recommendation to grant city status to more than one town to commemorate the Millennium. City status will be granted by Letters Patent, which will now be prepared for presentation to Brighton and Hove, Inverness and Wolverhampton in due course.
The unsuccessful applicants will, of course, be disappointed not to have been honoured on this occasion. The quality of the 39 applications received was very high, however, and demonstrated the pride in their communities felt by local people in towns across the United Kingdom. They will all have an opportunity for their applications to be considered again, for the grant of city status to mark Her Majesty's Golden Jubilee in 2002. The Queen has agreed to the Prime Minister's recommendation that Her Jubilee should be marked, exceptionally, by grants of city status to a suitably qualified town in each of Wales, Northern Ireland, England and Scotland.
My officials will now initiate a review of the procedures used in the Millennium competition. Further details of the Golden Jubilee competition will be announced during the first half of next year.