HC Deb 13 June 2003 vol 406 cc122-4W
Mr. Rosindell

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the financial implications of a British Olympic bid for the London Borough of Havering. [115332]

Mr. Caborn

We have made no assessment of the financial implications for the London Borough of Havering of a British Olympic Bid. However, the Mayor has said that if a bid were successful, London"s contribution towards the games from council tax will be produced from up to £20 a year for a band D property. This would start in the financial year 2006–07, after it is known whether we will host the games. As for the financial implications of the bidding process, as my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State said in her statement to the House, business, the London development agency and Government will bear the cost.

Mr. Rosindell

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received from the London Borough of Havering regarding the British Olympic bid. [115333]

Mr. Caborn

I have no record of any representations from the London Borough of Havering.

Mr. Rosindell

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with Transport for London regarding the public transport infrastructure in East London in relation to the British Olympic bid. [115334]

Mr. Caborn

Officials from this department have held a number of discussions with Transport for London to review the transport elements of Arup"s cost benefit analysis of an Olympic bid centred on the lower Lea Valley and consider the possible cost of a robust transport solution for a London Olympics.

These discussions also included other transport groups, for example the Strategic Rail Authority and Highways Agency as well as the Metropolitan Police and Department for Transport.

Mr. Rosindell

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with the Mayor of London regarding the financial implications of a British Olympic bid for the London boroughs. [115335]

Tessa Jowell

The agreement reached between Government and the Mayor of London on the public funding package for a London 2012 Olympics followed extensive and detailed discussions with the Mayor for London and his advisers at official and ministerial level.

Mr. Reed

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of the lottery contribution to the cost of hosting the Olympic Games will come from existing lottery distributors. [114825]

Tessa Jowell

The total amount of Lottery funding required for the Olympics will depend on the eventual costs. With good management, which the Government is determined to see in place, I expect the maximum level of Lottery funding to be £1.5 billion.

Of this contribution it is estimated that £750 million will be raised through hypothecated Olympic Games. £340 million would be sought from planned expenditure by the established Lottery sport distributors.

The remaining contribution, if any is needed, would be derived by changing the shares of Lottery income passing to distributors after 2009.

Mr. Reed

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made on the impact of existing sports lottery funded projects of hosting the Olympic Games in 2012; and if she will make a statement. [114826]

Tessa Jowell

Preliminary assessments of the impact of Olympic Lottery Games have been provided by Camelot, and reviewed by the National Lottery Commission. There is no expectation that hosting the Olympic Games in 2012 would impact on existing sports lottery funded projects.

Mr. Watts

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether her Department has identified all the land needed for an Olympic Games bid. [116137]

Mr. Caborn

It will be for the Bid Company to identify its overall land requirements and the precise location of each of the sporting venues. The Bid Company will be supported in this work by the London Development Agency which is commissioning a master planning exercise for the Lower Lea Valley which encompasses the proposed Olympic zone. The master planning exercise will help to co-ordinate Olympic plans with those currently being developed locally so that the Olympics will complement and reinforce existing regeneration plans in the area.

Mr. Watts

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her Department"s estimate is of the cost of acquiring sites needed for a London Olympic Games bid. [116138]

Mr. Caborn

An independent cost benefit analysis carried out by Arup for Government, the British Olympic Association and Greater London Authority estimated that costs of acquiring land for a specimen Olympic Games based primarily in the Lower Lea Valley at close to £400 million. The costs of land assembly should be recovered through the subsequent sale or rent of the land.

The LDA has already begun assembling land in the area as part of its wider strategy for regeneration and economic development in the Thames Gateway—an area that has been identified as a priority for development by the Government and the Greater London Authority with or without a successful Olympic bid. During the bid period the LDA will only acquire land which could be used for regeneration purposes should the bid not be successful.