Examination of Witnesses (Questions 160
- 162)
WEDNESDAY 15 JANUARY 2003
RT HON
TESSA JOWELL,
MP, RT HON
RICHARD CABORN,
MP AND MR
ROBERT RAINE
Mr Flook
160. I do not wish to prejudge it either.
(Tessa Jowell) What I would hope is that if we do
decide to bid that our friends in the press, who have been powerful
advocates for the case for the bid will remain powerful advocates
of the bid and also the Government and the BOA in the event that
we win a bid and proceed to put in place the facilities for an
Olympics.
161. What piece of advice on winning from all
of the lessons you are likely to learn and all lessons you have
learned, apart from the Dome, from Wembley, from Manchester, what
piece of advice will you give the person who will be Secretary
of State in August 2005?
(Tessa Jowell) There are two, and this may be a note
to myself, for all I know. First of all, be absolutely clear what
you are in for and go through the exercise of anticipation and
be as confident as you possibly can be of the costs and the other
operational issues which are involved before saying yes. If you
then say yes you go hell for leather, you give it everything you
have to make it the greatest possible success it can be.
(Mr Caborn) It will not be of any use because in August
2005 the decision will have been made in July.
Mr Flook: It would take a week to think
about how you are going to put it into practice.
Chairman
162. Could I make the point which follows on
what Adrian has said, if the Government were to decide on making
a bid then it would appear to me that one of the strongest cases
that it could put is that no government has ever gone through
such a rigorous assessment of the process of making the bid and
if the Government has come to the conclusion that it should make
a bid it is because it is determined to win and that it has taken
every conceivable factor into account. There you are, I have summed
it up for you. Maybe I will be the next secretary of state.
(Mr Caborn) Thanks to your Committee, quite honestly,
because it is after your Committee the PIU Report came and the
process we followed is very much what was recommended by your
Committee.
Chairman: Thank you very much indeed.
Thank you, Secretary of State and your associates. Thank you very
much.
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