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CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

Millennium Dome

Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on what days to date all available tickets for the Millennium Dome have been sold; and what was the attendance on those days. [110464]

Janet Anderson [holding answer 17 February 2000]: All available tickets were sold from 1 to 3 January, from 18 to 26 February and on 28 February. Attendances on those days were as follows:


Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what is the total sum that has been paid by the New Millennium Experience Company since the commencement of the Millennium Dome project in compensation to contractors and designers whose employment or contracts have been terminated by the NMEC. [110917]

Janet Anderson [holding answer 21 February 2000]: No termination payments have been made by the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) to contractors or designers.

Mr. Fearn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what are the most recent attendance figures for the New Millennium Experience. [113446]

Janet Anderson: The Millennium Dome welcomed its one millionth visitor on Saturday 4 March. There were 569,538 visitors to the Millennium Dome in February and 366,420 in January, an increase of 55 per cent.

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will invite Jean-Marie Gerbeaux to contribute his expertise to the operation of the Millennium Dome. [113505]

Janet Anderson [holding answer 7 March 2000]: It is for the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) to decide what expertise it requires.

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many Millennium Dome tickets have been sold through National Lottery terminals. [112860]

Janet Anderson: At 29 February, 289,071 tickets for the Millennium Dome had been sold through National Lottery terminals.

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31 December 2000

Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proposals he has for celebrating the start of the new millennium on 31 December 2000. [111802]

Janet Anderson: The Millennium Commission was set up to fund projects to mark the year 2000 and the beginning of the third millennium. The Millennium Festival is running throughout the year 2000 and includes events scheduled for new year's eve 2000. In addition, smaller grants are still available to community organisations who can plan millennial celebrations for their villages and towns on 31 December 2000.

Select Committee Report

Mr. Faber: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport at what time on 2 March he (a) received a copy of the Fourth report from the Culture, Media and Sport Committee (HC164) and (b) finalised the content of his Department's press notice No. 49/2000. [113777]

Kate Hoey: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State received a Confidential Final Revise copy of the Fourth Report from the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee shortly after 2.00pm on 2 March. The Departmental press notice was issued shortly after 3.00pm on the same day.

Athletics Venues

Mr. Faber: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list those organisations and individuals outside his Department whom he met in the week beginning 28 February to discuss venues for major athletics events and related issues; and at what time and on what date those meetings were held. [113778]

Kate Hoey: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State had no meetings in that week to discuss venues for major athletics events. I met David Moorcroft and Adam Walker from UK Athletics at 2.30pm on 1 March 2000 in my office at DCMS about a range of issues including, possible venues for major athletics events including the 2005 World Athletics Championships.

Mr. Faber: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions his Department has had with (a) Sheffield City Council, (b) Gateshead Council, (c) the City of Edinburgh Council and (d) the Scottish Executive about a national athletics stadium; and if he will make a statement. [113818]

Kate Hoey [holding answer 13 March 2000]: My Department has had no discussions with representatives from City Councils at Sheffield, Gateshead, Edinburgh or the Scottish Executive about a national athletics stadium.

Mr. Faber: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on the location of a national athletics stadium; [114178]

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Kate Hoey [holding answers 13 March 2000]: Sport England is, together with UK Sport, UK Athletics, the BOA and the Department, undertaking further work on non-Wembley options for staging international athletics events. The Rugby Football Union (RFU) proposed that Twickenham might be used for such events and constructive discussions have taken place between my Department, Sport England, UK Athletics, the BOA, the RFU and the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Sport England have, in discussion with the parties above, drawn together further information and evaluation criteria and a further announcement will be made shortly.

Mr. Faber: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement about his Department's discussions with Manchester City Council about a national athletics stadium. [113937]

Kate Hoey: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and I met a delegation from Manchester City Council on 19 January 2000 led by my hon. Friend the Member for Manchester, Central (Mr. Lloyd), to discuss proposals for holding the 2005 World Athletics Championships. This presentation was followed up by my officials and Sport England who discussed the proposals further with the Chief Executive of Manchester City Council. However, the decision by UK Athletics to submit a London bid for the 2005 World Athletics Championships and the BOA confirming that it will only consider a London based Olympic bid has effectively ruled out Manchester as an option for a national athletics venue. I also understand that the delay caused by redesigning the Manchester stadium upgrade to host the World Athletics Championships could have put the 2002 Commonwealth Games in jeopardy.

Sports Institute

Mr. Faber: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement about progress in the development of Crystal Palace as a London site for the United Kingdom Sports Institute. [113945]

Kate Hoey: Sport England is considering Crystal Palace as a potential site for an English Institute of Sport Network Centre. A major component of the London Centre will be provision for athletics training.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

Public Record Office

Mr. Baker: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what criteria determine the removal for disposal of documents from the Public Record Office; how many were so disposed of in 1999; and if he will make a statement. [114109]

Mr. Lock: The criteria which determine the removal for disposal of documents, which have been selected for permanent preservation and have been accessioned into

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the national collection at the Public Record Office, are governed by section 4 (3) of the Public Records Act 1958, which states:


This provision has usually been employed to allow public records which are primarily of local or specialist interest to be transferred to the appropriate local authority record office or specialist archive. These institutions must be approved placed of deposit and are required to have suitable facilities for the safekeeping, preservation and inspection by the public of the records concerned.

In the calendar year 1999, no public records were transferred from the Public Record Office.


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