§ Mr. GreenwayTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the difference between cost and funds secured to date for staging Manchester 2002. [152516]
§ Kate Hoey[holding answer 6 March 2001]: My right hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Cabinet Office is responsible for co-ordinating Government involvement with the Commonwealth Games. Manchester 2002 Ltd. is raising income from a combination of sponsorship, television rights, merchandising and ticket sales to meet the estimated operating costs of £62 million of the Games. To date, they have attracted £18 million.
When bidding to stage the Games, Manchester city council undertook to underwrite the Games and that commitment remains.