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MILLENNIUM EXPERIENCE
The Secretary of State was asked--
Archbishop of Canterbury
29. Mr. James Gray (North Wiltshire): What role the Archbishop of Canterbury will have in the events in the Dome on 31 December. [83437]
The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Mr. Chris Smith): The New Millennium Experience Company is discussing the arrangements for the opening celebrations at the dome with a number of interested parties, including the royal household, the Government and Lambeth palace. The nature and scope of the celebrations will be announced in due course.
Mr. Gray: Having ducked my question on two previous occasions, will the Secretary of State take this opportunity to inform the House whether he agrees that, whatever else it may be, the millennium is the celebration of the 2,000th anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ; that, at the very least, the Archbishop should be invited to attend the ceremony and, as we do in the House at the beginning of proceedings, to say a prayer; and that the same duty should be asked of the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, to be undertaken in Scotland?
If the right hon. Gentleman will not acknowledge that fact, will he tell us what his input is in those discussions with Lambeth palace and what the Archbishop has said, so far, about what he would like to do at midnight on 31 December?
Mr. Smith:
As I have said consistently, the millennium is an important Christian anniversary and our celebrations should reflect that fact, but it is also important that those celebrations should be inclusive and accessible to people of all faiths and none. That is the spirit in which we have always approached the matter; the same was true of the previous Government. Clearly, it is important that the spiritual significance of the millennium is reflected in the celebrations both during the first weekend of 2000 and throughout the year.
Mr. Ben Bradshaw (Exeter):
Is my right hon. Friend aware that a number of Christians, including me, are somewhat puzzled by the apparent attempts of the Archbishop of Canterbury to dictate the conditions of his presence at the millennium party, because we were under the impression that Christmas is the Christian festival and that new year's eve is a secular one?
Mr. Smith:
The Archbishop of Canterbury and the leading figures of other branches of the Christian family are closely involved in discussions about preparations for the millennium celebrations, and that is right. Indeed, on the afternoon of 2 January, the first Sunday of 2000, at our proposal, national church services will be held in each of the home countries.
Mr. Peter Ainsworth (East Surrey):
The Secretary of State has to admit that he has a problem on his hands. Is a minute of Christian contemplation too much to ask? If it is, what steps will be taken to avoid an embarrassing boycott by Church leaders? I presume that Ministers wish to avoid the scenario of reluctant Church leaders being prised from their churches and congregations and shunted along the Jubilee line on new year's eve to a secular knees up.
Mr. Smith:
The hon. Gentleman is premature in jumping to conclusions about what will happen on the night of 31 December/1 January. He should wait until the discussions that are under way in a warm and co-operative spirit between all the Churches, leaders of other faiths, the Government, the royal household and the New Millennium Experience Company have reached some conclusions. Then, perhaps, we can have a sensible discussion.
30. Ms Claire Ward (Watford):
If he will make a statement on the provision of medical facilities at the millennium experience. [83438]
The Minister for Tourism, Film and Broadcasting (Janet Anderson):
A fully equipped medical centre will be established at the dome. It will be managed and staffed by the local national health service, and wholly funded by the New Millennium Experience Company. The centre will be operational from October 1999, and staffed both during the celebrations on new year's eve and throughout 2000.
Ms Ward:
I thank my hon. Friend for that reply. What will be the ratio of medical staff to visitors? Does she share my concern that, because of the number of people attending the dome, there may be serious medical problems if many of them require medical assistance? Will she assure the House that she will be keeping the facilities under careful check?
Janet Anderson:
I assure my hon. Friend that we shall, of course, be monitoring the situation. As Jennie Page--the NMEC chief executive--said:
"With more than 12 million people expected to visit the Dome during 2000 and 5,000 staff, we have sought to establish on-site medical care of the highest possible standard. The health and safety of our visitors--including children and senior citizens--is paramount".
Marketing
31. Kali Mountford (Colne Valley): What progress is being made with plans to market the millennium experience across the country. [83439]
The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Mr. Chris Smith): The New Millennium Experience Company's marketing strategy incorporates a number of means of promoting the millennium experience, and its associated national programme, across the United Kingdom and worldwide. Among the initiatives currently being undertaken are the development of the "Our Town" story programme, to enable towns across the length and breadth of the United Kingdom to tell their story in the millennium dome; proposals to ensure that 1 million school children will be able to visit the dome for free; and the negotiation of special packages of travel combined with entry tickets, to ensure that people are able, at the cheapest possible price, to get to the dome and the millennium experience.
Kali Mountford: I thank my right hon. Friend for his answer, and particularly for its focus on children. I do not know whether he has seen a copy of the Huddersfield Daily Examiner, but I hope that he has, as it states that although children are very enthusiastic about the millennium experience, their parents and grandparents are less so. Will he ensure that the millennium experience marketing strategy will examine the effects of that varying enthusiasm, and perhaps focus more attention on encouraging parents and grandparents to help those enthusiastic youngsters to attend?
Mr. Smith: It just so happens that I have, indeed, seen the Huddersfield Daily Examiner report to which my hon. Friend refers. I was extremely interested to see that pupils at Spring Grove Junior, Infant and Nursery school, in Springwood,
- "all agreed it would be a wonderful experience."
-
The article also helpfully points out that the £57 pound charge for five people on a family ticket--including at least one adult and four children--is less than the £59 that it costs for four people to go to Alton Towers, in Staffordshire.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley (South-West Surrey): Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that it is very important for the Government to show some restraint in marketing the millennium experience, and that, by launching the contents at The Peoples Palace--where the Labour party celebrated its general election victory--they have caused great concern to the many people who believe that the millennium celebration should not be party political and that it certainly should not be regarded as the launch pad for the Labour party's next election campaign?
Mr. Smith: On our part, there is no intention or wish at all to make the celebration party political--which is precisely why the former Deputy Prime Minister sits on the Millennium Commission and is intimately involved in the development and detailed proposals for the dome itself.
Children's Promise
34. Mr. Gareth R. Thomas (Harrow, West): If he will make a statement on progress made on the children's promise initiative as part of the millennium experience's national programme. [83442]
The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Mr. Chris Smith): Children's promise is one of the exciting and innovative projects within the millennium experience's national programme of events and activities, many of which are already under way across the UK. Children's promise is supported by Marks and Spencer and aims to encourage as many people as possible to donate the value of their final hour's earnings of 1999 for the benefit of the children of the next millennium. The money raised will be distributed by seven of the UK's major charities that work with children.
Mr. Thomas: Does my right hon. Friend agree that children's promise is further proof of how wrong the doom and gloom merchants were when they predicted that the millennium experience would not be enjoyed by everyone around the country, but just by those in London? What action is my right hon. Friend taking to promote that excellent initiative?
Mr. Smith: I am delighted to say that the take-up of children's promise has already far exceeded expectations. Many companies and individuals have signed up to ensure that we give some of our income from the final hours of 1999 to help children in the next millennium. We are also writing to all Members of Parliament to encourage them to set an example by signing up to the idea. I hope that it will be widely taken up on both sides of the House.
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