EUROPEAN YEAR OF INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE
2008 (8596/06, 12559/06)
Letter from the Chairman to David Lammy
MP, Minister for Culture, Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Thank you for your letter dated 18 July 2006[135]
which arrived too late for consideration before the House rose
for the Summer Recess. It was considered by Sub-Committee G on
12 October.
We are glad that we were able to help the Government
to respond positively to the Austrian Presidency's last-minute
proposal for a General Approach at the Council meeting on 18 May
and are grateful to you for reporting that the General Approach
was agreed at that meeting.
You have acknowledged our keenness to ensure
that full advantage is taken of the linkage between designation
of Liverpool as a European Capital of Culture and the possible
inclusion of Liverpool in the Maritime "Cities on the Edge"
programme in 2008. You have also acknowledged our continuing concern
over the administrative and budgetary arrangements. We are grateful
to you for promising to keep us in touch with significant developments
on all these aspects. Now that scrutiny has been released, we
leave it to you to judge when it would be appropriate for you
to write to us again about that.
12 October 2006
Letter from the Chairman to Shaun Woodward
MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Culture,
Media and Sport
Your Explanatory Memorandum (12559/06) dated
4 October was considered by Sub-Committee G on 2 November.
As you know, we have already cleared the original
Proposal from scrutiny, although you have undertaken to keep us
in touch with any significant developments on the adminsitrative
and budgetary arrangements, as well as the possible linkage between
the designation of Liverpool as the European Capital of Culture
and the inclusion of Liverpool in the Maritime "Cities on
the Edge" programmes in 2008.
We note that the Government is content with
the amendments proposed and hope that they will help to make the
Year an effective and worthwhile exercise. You will recall, however,
our earlier reservations about the vagueness of the concept and
the need for sensitive interpretation of the objectives. We think
that the latter is particularly important in view of the growing
debate about multiculturalism and will look to the Government
to ensure, through UK representation on the Advisory Committee
that appropriate sensitivity, as well as the need for any projects
to be sound and likely to have a significant impact, is taken
fully into account.
We would also like to reemphasise the need for
rigorous evaluation of the progress and outcome of the Year, as
outlined in my letter to you dated 18 May.
On that basis, we are prepared to release the
Amended Proposal from scrutiny but would be grateful if you would
report the result of the Council meeting in due course.
3 November 2006
135 Correspondence with Ministers, 40th Report of Session
2006-07, HL Paper 187, pp 511-512. Back
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