§ Mr. Peter AinsworthTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) when he first was informed of Mr. Robert Bourne's interest in acquiring the Millennium Dome; [147720]
(2) what representations he received prior to 15 December 1999 from Mr. Robert Bourne regarding the future use of the Millennium Dome. [147722]
§ Mr. Chris Smith[holding answer 29 January 2001]: The competition for the sale of the Dome was launched on 4 March 1999 with an initial deadline of 26 March 1999 for submitting expressions of interest. On 18 March 1999 I met Robert Bourne and he outlined his initial ideas for the future use of the Dome. On 31 March 1999,1 and other Ministers were informed by officials of the names of those 54 organisations, including Legacy plc, who had expressed an interest in bidding for the future use of the Dome. I met Robert Bourne again on 14 June 1999 but the meeting was entirely about the future of theatre in London, and the Dome was not discussed.