Baroness of Anelay of St Johnsasked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 23 October (WA 1) that Tesco sponsorship of £500,000 due for payment to the Millennium Dome on 1 March had been withheld pending the resolution of certain issues and had not been paid over as at 23 October, why Mrs Janet Anderson, Minister for Tourism, stated on 4 July that "At 31st May, all contractual sponsorship payments had been made" (HC Deb, col. 194W). [HL4387]
§ Lord Falconer of ThorotonHaving received advice from the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) that the information they provided to me in July was incorrect, Mrs Janet Anderson, the Minister for Tourism, set the record straight by way of Written Answer (HC Deb, col. 384W). The Answer should have been: "All sponsor contracts are individually tailored for each sponsorship, including phasing of sponsorship payments. As at 1 March, under the terms of their sponsorship agreement, Tesco were due to pay £1.75 million plus VAT. Of that, £1 million (plus VAT) had been received on 12 May 2000, leaving a balance of £750,000. The contract with Boots was nearing finalisation and the company had paid amounts in advance of signature. The Boots contract has now been signed and all due payments have been made". Mrs Anderson apologised for this unfortunate, but unintentional, error. David James, Executive Chairman of NMEC, is initiating a full investigation as to how this error occurred.