§ Lord Morganasked Her Majesty's Government:
When they intend to announce the results of the civic honours competitions held to mark Her Majesty the Queen's Golden Jubilee. [HL3297]
§ The Lord Chancellor (Lord Irvine of Lairg)I am pleased to announce that Her Majesty has commanded that city status should be granted to Preston, Newport, Stirling, Lisburn and Newry and that Exeter should be honoured with the grant of a Lord Mayoralty to mark the Golden Jubilee.
Before advising Her Majesty I consulted my right honourable friends the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions and the Secretaries of State for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland on the applications relevant to their departments.
On the advice of my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, I exceptionally recommended, and Her Majesty agreed, that two towns in Northern Ireland should be granted city status on this occasion.
I know that the unsuccessful applicants will be very disappointed not to have been honoured on such an important occasion. I can, however, assure them that the standard of all the applications was impressive and some were outstanding. The winners were particularly so and all deserve congratulations. The competitions have demonstrated a very positive attitude to Her Majesty's Golden Jubilee among towns and cities across the United Kingdom.