What plans he has to reform the rules that concern the issuing of concessionary television licences. [27585]

The Government's agreement with the BBC provides for a review of future funding arrangements prior to March 2002. It will include a detailed consideration of licence concessions.

I thank my hon. Friend for that reply. Does he agree that the concessionary television licence system is both unfair and over-bureaucratic? Does he accept that it would make much more sense to deliver a consistent television licence concession to all pensioners of, say, 50 per cent., or at least to link the system to ability to pay?

I entirely agree. The concessionary scheme which we inherited is full of anomalies, and causes a great deal of frustration and irritation to pensioners and others. I think that everybody would agree that it is highly imperfect and unsatisfactory. The distinct problem is that reforming it would simply create new anomalies and be hugely expensive—anything up to £450 million a year.

Does the Minister agree that the concessionary television licence is a classic example of an exception from which anomalies pour forth? Although that is, of course, nothing to do with the new Government, it is a long-standing irritant to so many people. There must be some review—some ordered, logical way in which to address the problem. I am sure that the Minister would get support from many Members on both sides of the House if he addressed the argument honestly, given that the BBC television licence is the best possible value for the services provided.

I entirely agree with the hon. Gentleman. The system is a classic example of a well-intentioned concession leading to enormous unhappiness and problems. The best time to consider the matter will be when we very shortly look at all funding arrangements for the BBC.

What representations he has received recently concerning the distribution of national lottery grants; and if he will make a statement. [27586]

If he will make a statement on the equity of lottery grant distribution. [27595]

We have received more than 1,000 letters since our White Paper was published, in addition to nearly 600 direct responses. The responses were overwhelmingly in favour of our reforms of the lottery, and we are now implementing our proposals through the National Lottery Bill. Among other things, it makes provision for us to be able to ensure a fairer geographical spread of lottery awards.

I appreciate that many of my constituents make use of town-centre facilities, especially in Sheffield and Chesterfield, and to some extent in London, so that lottery awards to those areas also benefit my constituents. Are not poorer people much less mobile and, therefore, unable to make use of such facilities? Such maldistribution of lottery moneys, much of which is contributed by poorer people, is quite obscene. There is almost a 1,000-fold distinction between funding received in richer constituencies and in poorer ones. Hopefully, that is being tackled by my right hon. Friend's measures.

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. By ensuring that lottery distributary boards draw up a strategy for the deployment of lottery resources, we shall ensure that, among other things, they help to tackle social exclusion. I look forward to discussing the matter further with my hon. Friend when I meet him in a few weeks' time.

Some authorities—those mentioned by my hon. Friend the Member for North-East Derbyshire (Mr. Barnes), Bolsover and others in Derbyshire and elsewhere—do not get a fair crack of the whip. In view of that, will my right hon. Frie nd make sure that he meets the people from Creswell crags—one of the oldest archaeological sites in the northern hemisphere—who tried to get money from the Conservative party without success? They were led up the garden path by the right hon. Member for South-West Surrey (Mrs. Bottomley), who was then in charge, with the result that they receive nothing like what they should. Is it too late to stop Heseltine's folly—the dome? There would then be even more money for redistribution.

I would be delighted to meet my hon. Friend's constituents to discuss Creswell crags. At this stage, I cannot give any commitment on funding, but I shall be happy to discuss the matter with them.

The right hon. Gentleman will be aware of the growing dismay in the heritage, arts and sports fields about the fact that they will be £60 million a year less well off than they anticipated. As a result, many applications that otherwise could have been confident of success are being rejected. Will the right hon. Gentleman publish the agreements he reached with the distributing bodies, because he has informed us that they have voluntarily given up that £60 million a year to put it into the new opportunities fund in advance of legislation? The arts, heritage and sports groups that spoke to me were very surprised that the councils had reached such an agreement voluntarily.

As usual—this is her usual question—the right hon. Lady is wrong. The amount that each of the existing distributors will have over the seven years of the franchise is £1.8 billion, as was anticipated when the lottery began. No money has been taken away from that amount.

Will the right hon. Gentleman seek to allay the growing torrent of criticism of his Department from luminaries of the arts world by making a firm commitment not to reduce the percentage of lottery proceeds devoted to the arts below what he currently intends?

The gentle criticism expressed by one or two figures in the arts world has been related entirely to the figure that the Conservative party put into the Red Book a year ago. I have no intention whatever of reducing that figure of £1.8 billion, which the arts, heritage, sports and charities always knew that they would get.

If he will make a statement on the introduction of digital television in Wales. [27587]

Digital television services, via satellite, cable and terrestrial delivery, are due to start this year throughout the UK. Current terrestrial plans will deliver digital services to 74 per cent. of the population of Wales within 16 months of the start of digital transmissions.

In view of the challenges facing broadcasters in Wales as a result of the implementation of digitalisation, can my hon. Friend confirm who will be the next chairman of S4C?

The Government have invited Ms Elan Closs Stephens to succeed Mr. Ifan Prys Edwards as chairperson of S4C from 1 April this year. Ms Stephens is a senior lecturer in the department of theatre, film and television studies at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, and deputy chairman of the Welsh Language Board. We wish her well.

The Minister will be aware that as a result of the hurried deal done between BSkyB and the Rugby Football Union during the passage of the Broadcasting Act 1996, there are millions of people in Wales who—with or without digital television—will be unable to watch the England v. Wales international at Twickenham, which is being broadcast only on Sky Television. While recognising the legitimate rights of sporting interests to raise money for their sports, is it not time that we recognised that there are certain national events, such as the five nations tournament and test match cricket, which ought to be included on a limited list?

That is a matter for the advisory group on listed events.

How the reforms to the national lottery will help children's development out of school hours. [27588]

The new opportunities fund will allocate £400 million to out-of-school-hours activities, providing new educational, creative and sporting opportunities in half of all secondary schools and a quarter of all primary schools, as well as child care for up to 1 million children.

I thank my hon. Friend for that reply. Will voluntary organisations—such as Oldham Child Minders Association, which co-ordinates child care in our borough—be entitled to apply for new opportunities funding, or will only those who provide services directly be eligible?

Details of how the fund will operate will be released shortly.

Under what statutory authority have the shadow accounts for the new opportunities fund been created?

Under the National Lottery Bill

Is the Minister aware that, while he is giving with one hand, he is drawing away with the other hand opportunities for schoolchildren throughout the country to learn musical instruments? Local authorities are withdrawing their support, owing to the unacceptably tight settlements that they have been given. What does he intend to do to stop the collapse of skilled instrumental teaching in this country?

The right hon. Gentleman refers to a growing problem which has increased over recent years and is causing terrific difficulties for children and for the teaching of music, and he is right to draw attention to it. We believe that the new opportunities arising from the National Lottery Bill will allow us to begin to address some of those difficulties.

If he will make a statement on the future status of televised test cricket. [27589]

As my hon. Friend will know, I have established an advisory group to consider this issue in general and I expect it to publish recommendations before Easter.

My right hon. Friend knows that the audience for live coverage of test matches on the BBC is about 2.5 million; that that is important for the maintenance of enthusiasm for and participation in cricket at all levels; and that, by contrast, the audience for one-day test matches on Sky is only 413,000. Does he agree that it is absolutely vital for cricket to maintain its mass audience on television, and that it is wrong for cricket fans who cannot really afford it to be effectively blackmailed by delisting into subscribing to Sky?

My hon. Friend will know that at present, some cricket is on the list of events that have to be shown on free-to-air television. Lord Gordon and his team are currently reviewing the list, and one of the criteria that we have clearly set in place is that if an event has a special national resonance, and not simply a significance to those who ordinarily follow the sport concerned, it should be considered for listing. The committee will bear those principles in mind when it comes to advise me later this year.

What plans he has to develop information services in public libraries. [27591]

We are currently considering a report from the Library and Information Commission, which recommends the development of information technology in public libraries. We will respond to the report's recommendations soon.

I welcome that response. Will my hon. Friend take into account the fact that, in some areas, access to libraries is the only access to information for many households? For example, Luton central library in my constituency was lucky enough to receive the largest grant from the Department, and grants from the Wolfson Libraries Challenge fund and Vauxhall Motors to secure access to information and information technology for households for which access to books, let alone computers, is severely limited. Will he use that as a model to ensure that resources are targeted to those in greatest need, so that there is the widest possible access to the national grid for learning?

I would have thought that hon. Members on both sides of the House would agree that one of the greatest problems is the growing gap between the information-rich and the information-poor. The public library service can probably act most readily as a mentor to bridge that gap.

Does the Minister agree that the introduction of information technology to libraries would be a new lease of life for some of them and would attract some people who would never have dreamt of going into a library before? Will he also pay due regard to rural libraries? It is important that we make IT facilities available to them, as many of my constituents cannot afford the £1,000 to £2,000 to buy the equipment for their homes. We should not create an IT subclass, in rural areas or elsewhere, and we should not deny people the enjoyment of junk e-mail or of the world wide web, which could provide communities with additional learning facilities.

Mr. Matthew Evans's commission recommends a public library network, which will meet many of the hon. Gentleman's points.

What steps he is taking to tackle problems encountered by groups that win lottery funding but fail to raise matched funding. [27593]

Any applicant who experiences difficulties in raising partnership funding should speak to the distributor, who will consider the best way in which to proceed in each case. Our reforms to the lottery will ensure that distributors have a more flexible approach to partnership requirements.

I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for that answer, but is not the matched funding scheme very regressive? Will he go back to his Department, knock a few civil servants' heads together and ask the following question? Why did we get into matched funding in the first place, as the poorest areas of the country have the most difficulty? As a Labour Government, we should be tackling this problem.

I have already done precisely that. My hon. Friend will know that the National Lottery Charities Board requires no partnership funding whatever. He will also know that the Millennium Commission, which funds the Earth centre, had a very strict rule of 50 per cent. partnership funding. That rule was put in place by the right hon. Member for South-West Surrey (Mrs. Bottomley) and her predecessors. However, I am pleased to say that we are strongly encouraging the other distributors to be much more flexible about their partnership requirements, in particular to take into account the needs of projects in areas where the group proposing a project does not have ready access to private sector money.

If he will make a statement on his plans to change the mechanism for disbursement of lottery money. [27594]

The National Lottery Bill implements many of our plans to reform the distribution of lottery funds.

Will the Minister confirm what I was told by one of the existing grant-giving bodies in the south-east region—that, because of the changes proposed in the Bill, perfectly good sports and arts projects, which would previously have been approved, are being turned down and discouraged because of the Government's desire to get their hands on money that will amount to £ 1 billion over the lifetime of this lottery licence? Will he apologise to those sports and arts bodies that want to do good in their local communities, but are being prevented from doing so by the fact that the Government are grabbing their money?

The hon. Gentleman clearly was not in the House a few minutes ago, when my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State answered the question of the former Secretary of State, the right hon. Member for South-West Surrey (Mrs. Bottomley). If he had been, he would have heard the answer. Each board was always going to receive £1.8 billion; that is exactly the planning total that they will receive.

May I draw my hon. Friend's attention to the real concern in my constituency? Although larger organisations may find it easy to make applications for lottery bids, small groups find it difficult to do so. Will he ensure that such groups have a way in which to obtain help from the lottery in making their bids?

Yes. My hon. Friend makes a good point. It is difficult for small groups and bodies to access the lottery, which is why some of the reforms in the new National Lottery Bill will be welcome—in particular, the small grants scheme.

What plans he has to make applications for lottery funding simpler for small community organisations in Birmingham and the west midlands. [27598]

The National Lottery Bill will help to ensure that more lottery money reaches small-scale projects in local communities throughout the United Kingdom.

I thank my hon. Friend for that reply and welcome the small grants scheme that is to be brought into being. Also, I urge my hon. Friend to consider the need in some circumstances for small local voluntary organisations to get help with revenue funding either of proposed projects or the expansion of projects, especially when that seed money can help them to develop extra funding for what they are trying to do within the community. There is a big gap between bodies such as the Royal Opera house, which can put its hand out and get millions tipped into it, and voluntary bodies doing important jobs in their communities in inner-city areas.

I suspect that hon. Members on both sides of the House would agree. The purpose of reforming the national lottery is precisely to tackle such problems and to ensure that the benefits of the lottery get into constituencies throughout the country and right down to the grass roots—to village halls, community halls and small projects that can really benefit the quality of local community life.

The problem is not merely in the west midlands—

Order. The question was on the west midlands—precisely that.

If he will make a statement on prospects for the British film industry. [27600]

The British film industry is undergoing a huge renaissance and the prospects for the future are better now than they have been for many years.

I thank the Minister for that response with which I am completely satisfied.

I am grateful that the right hon. Gentleman is satisfied and I hope, therefore, that he will rejoice with me about the number of nominations for the Oscars. We wish all of them well. I hope, too, that he will join me in looking forward to the publication at the end of March of the review that I am co-chairing with Mr. Stewart Till of Polygram.

While recognising that the British film industry has recently made many good films, can my right hon. Friend assure me that he is satisfied that the film distribution system ensures that good British films are shown everywhere in the world?

My hon. Friend raises a significant question. I am not satisfied with distribution outwith Great Britain or even in the domestic market. Therefore, I am extremely pleased that the sub-group that has been dealing with that important issue, realising that a number of extremely good British films are not even being seen in British cinemas, is tackling the issue with the assiduousness that my hon. Friend would expect.

Does the Minister agree that one way in which to promote British films is to encourage the transition to digital television? Can he explain why the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has been so flabby in terms of giving up the guidelines that the Department of Trade and Industry set when I was a Minister? The aim was that we should switch after five years or when there was 50 per cent. coverage. The move to digital and encouraging films are the ways in which to stimulate the British industry and his Department has completely flunked it.

I find it astonishing that the hon. Gentleman should argue that we should take television from 50 per cent. of the people and that that would improve either television or film. People in the film industry, including consumers, have a far better approach and are a great deal better informed about those matters than the hon. Gentleman. When he reads our report in March, he will be able to put an informed question to the House.

What progress he is making in increasing the figures for British cinema audiences watching British films. [27601]

Increasing numbers of British cinemagoers are enjoying our top British films, which have started to make a significant mark on the UK box office. In 1997, British films almost doubled their share of UK box office takings, accounting for 23 per cent. of total box office revenues.

I welcome my right hon. Friend's reply and the number of measures that the Government are taking to boost the British film industry. Is he aware that some 50 per cent. of British films fail to get a release in this country? Will he assure the House that he will continue to monitor that situation with exhibitors and distributors, and consider the need for other measures further to boost the British film industry?

I am grateful to my hon. Friend, who will have noticed that the objective that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State set in Cannes of doubling the audience was achieved in eight months. Those of us who are concerned about the British film industry want the improved distribution that my hon. Friend mentioned. We have an excellent record. Films such as "The Full Monty", "Bean", "Regeneration", "Mrs. Brown" and others are a credit to Britain. That is all the more reason to want more audiences to see such good films.

When did the Minister last go to the cinema, which film did he see and what was its certificate?

I thought that I should see "Brassed Off' again, so I saw it a second time last week. It has a 15 certificate, but some of its intellectual aspects may be above the hon. Gentleman's head.

What plans he has to increase the proportion of public financial support for theatre which is devoted to activities. [27603]

As part of our reform of the national lottery, we want an increased proportion of money to be directed to arts activities rather than buildings or capital works.

Will the Minister give an assurance that he will do all in his power to ensure the reopening of the Playhouse theatre in Liverpool and continued proper backing for the Everyman theatre? Liverpool's theatres are a vital part of its assets. They are important to the city itself and to its continued economic regeneration. Does he agree that it is essential that equitable public funding is given to theatres throughout the north-west and the country?

I entirely share my hon. Friend's admiration for the work of the Playhouse and the Everyman in Liverpool. Those who love theatre will be concerned by the state of the Playhouse. We are determined to address the problems by getting money not only to the fabric of buildings, but to cultural activities. That reform of the lottery will be welcomed by Government and Opposition Members.

Is the Minister aware that the D'Oyly Carte Gilbert and Sullivan opera company closed at the end of December because the Arts Council refused to put it on its little list? It allows hundreds of other organisations that have been on the list for years and years to remain there, but refuses to save one of our great British national institutions. More than 103 Members have signed an early-day motion, but the Secretary of State and his Department have been unable to save one of the most important English light operetta companies. The chairman of the Arts Council says that it will not get on to his list for more than 100 years because so many organisations are already there. What will the Minister do to save the D'Oyly Carte and Gilbert and Sullivan before 2000?

I am aware of the matter because the hon. Gentleman led a distinguished delegation to see me about it. His advocacy was persuasive, but, as he knows from our discussion, this is a matter for the Arts Council. I gather that he also led a delegation to its chairman. I am not sure what the joy of that was.

Useless.

The hon. Gentleman says that it was useless. I am sure that the Arts Council will take note of his interesting comment on that meeting.

Will my hon. Friend take the opportunity to examine the possibility of cross-border funding for theatres such as my own, Theatr Clwyd, which is in Wales, but which also attracts audiences from England? Will he examine ways in which organisations such as the lottery and the Arts Council of England could help to fund theatres based in Wales that serve audiences from England?

My hon. Friend has made a good point. The audience for Theatr Clwyd in Mold includes people from Stoke on Trent, like me, from Manchester and from other places. There is a funding problem not only in north and south Wales but in Scotland, and the creation of the individual nations' arts councils has not fully addressed it. We must consider it with energy and vigour.

When he plans to meet the chairman of the Press Complaints Commission to discuss its code of practice. [27604]

On 25 September 1997, I welcomed Lord Wakeham's proposals for strengthening the newspaper industry's code of practice, and added that I intended to discuss further with him protection for people in all walks of life. I propose to do so in due course.

Has the right hon. Gentleman considered discussing with the chairman of the Press Complaints Commission the possibility of extending his code of practice to cover the conduct of the Lord Chancellor? Has he considered telling the chairman that the Government are absolutely in favour of self-regulation of the press and that they do not intend to make it subject to control by the courts, as proposed in the Human Rights Bill?

Of course that is not what is proposed in that Bill and my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary may have something to say about that subject in a few moments when he introduces its Second Reading. The code of practice for the press should apply to everyone no matter how high or how mighty and no matter what office of state that person might hold.

Does the Secretary of State agree with the Lord Chancellor that the Human Rights Bill introduces a privacy law, or with the Prime Minister, who believes that it does not?

The Government believe in the self-regulation of the press. We have no intention of introducing any privacy law, by the front door or the back door.

:How many representations he has received from organisations concerned with drug abuse in response to the national lottery White Paper.[27606]

Of the 496 organisations that responded to the proposals in the White Paper, three were concerned with drug abuse: the Standing Conference on Drug Abuse; Liverpool drug action team; and Adfam National. A copy of the analysis of the responses to the White Paper is available in the Library.

I thank my right hon. Friend for that answer. He will be aware that the submission of the Standing Conference on Drug Abuse made the case for a larger share of lottery funding to be directed at organisations tackling the problems of drug misuse, such as the excellent Newham drugs advice project in my area. Is my right hon. Friend sympathetic to such arguments?

I congratulate my hon. Friend on the activities in his constituency, and I assure him that we are sympathetic to such projects. Indeed, the Bill will confirm the Government's commitment to combat drug abuse through measures such as new opportunities, after-school clubs and our approach to young people in the healthy living centres. I hope that by working together we can deal with an extremely serious problem.

What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education and Employment on the future of musical instrument tuition.[27609]

I have had a number of discussions with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Employment on musical instrument tuition and a number of other matters of mutual and important interest.

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for that reply and I am glad that he is having such discussions. A number of extra-curricular activities connected with culture and sports in education are the province of his Department. Will he assure me that a joint action plan will be launched to ensure that musical instrument tuition is available to all pupils whatever their education authority?

I can indeed offer the hon. Gentleman that assurance. The pattern of musical instrument tuition in our schools has been in decline for many years and it is patchy in terms of the quality of provision, as highlighted by the recent report of the Associated Board. I am now in intensive discussion with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, the board, the Performing Rights Society and others about specific proposals, which I hope to be able to introduce within the next few weeks.

If he will provide financial support for football clubs in the lower divisions of the Football League and feeder leagues to improve spectator facilities.[27611]

I recognise the importance of having good-quality spectator accommodation at all levels of football. My hon. Friend the Minister for Sport was pleased to be able to announce last year that £20 million will be available to the Football Trust over the next four years from the Football Association and the national lottery to support football at all levels. I am pleased that the lottery is having such a positive impact on football generally, with our national game being the second largest beneficiary of awards to date.

Does the Secretary of State agree that the sum he has mentioned would barely pay the wages of one premier division football team; that the gap is widening between the premier league and the rest of the teams that make up the football pyramid; and that that is not in the interests of the national sport? Will he give an assurance that he will use his best endeavours to ensure that football money is spread more fairly and more evenly among all the professional clubs?

That is precisely what that £20 million is designed to do, now that the premier league clubs have all transformed their grounds into all-seater stadiums. The job now is to get that help further down the tree to clubs below premier league level, which is precisely what the money is designed to do.

What representations he has received on the advantages of the millennium dome project being run on a commercial basis by a leisure management company with expertise in this area. [27614]

There have been no such representations since the Conservatives decided that the project could not be delivered by a private sector company and duly nationalised it. I have every confidence in the New Millennium Experience Company and its ability to deliver a major first for Britain.

If the Minister is so confident about the mass appeal of the millennium dome, which has become a quasi theme park, why is he not offering the project for professional management and funding by a leisure company such as Walt Disney, which has a track record and expertise in this area, rather than depending to such a large extent on lottery funds, so that the million visitors a month he envisages enticing for a meander around the internal organs of a 150-foot silver representation of the Madonna can do so safe in the knowledge—[HON. MEMBERS: "Question?"]—can do so safe in the knowledge—

Order. The hon. Gentleman obviously did not hear my statement last week. Will he now come to his question? There is very little time in this period.

so that people can use it in the knowledge that so much public funding has not been detracted from other more worthy community-based projects?

rose—

What was the question?

Order. The Minister has the Dispatch Box at his disposal.

I am not quite sure what the question is, so all I can say to the hon. Gentleman is that the structure that was created by his party when it was in office has served the project well. It is a unique non-departmental public body, which has involved many private sector personnel and disciplines and I have full confidence in the company's ability to continue to perform as well as it has done to date.

Will the Minister without Portfolio agree that running the Millennium Experience Company along commercial principles would at least have the advantage of not costing the public money? As it stands, the Millennium Experience Company is spending £750 million of what is, in effect, public money, yet to this day we have not seen interim accounts which would enable us to find out how that money is being spent.

It is simply not the case that more than £750 million of public money is being spent on the project. As little as £399 million is coming from lottery funds, not from public expenditure, with the rest coming from private sector sponsors, commercial income and activities and ticket sales. I am pleased to be able to say that the prospects for private sector investment are very good, despite the report in today's Daily Mail about British Telecom. This morning, I spoke to Sir Peter Bonfield, the chief executive of British Telecom, who stated categorically, "Are we going to pull out? No, we are certainly not going to pull out." BT will not pull out because it is a company not of the old school and of the old Britain, unconfident and unambitious, but of the future, confident and vibrant—like the new Britain we are trying to create. That is why it will remain in the vanguard of the millennium project.

It is wonderful to hear that paean to privatisation. On the topic of expertise, as Minister with responsibility for the presentation of Government policy, how does he explain the fact that the millennium dome—the only policy for which he has direct responsibility—is a presentational disaster that deepens every day?

I do not accept for one moment that it is a presentational disaster. I only wish that Conservative Members—who say that they support the project but do everything that they can to impede its progress—would choose to support a national project that will be a tremendous success for our country.

If he will make a statement on the regional content of the millennium experience.[27615]

The overarching theme of the experience—"Time to make a Difference"—will encourage participation by individuals in all areas of the United Kingdom through a national programme of events and activities, which will be reflected in the dome's contents.

I hope that, as a fellow northern MP, the Minister will try to ensure that there is a substantial measure of regional content in the experience itself—something beyond fish and chips and avocado mousse. It will be a disaster if that huge statue becomes known as the angel of the south—which, being androgynous, may well be what happens. I wonder whether he shares my hope that he, as a Minister, will stay with the project and eschew all promotion offers. One Minister should be accountable for the project from start to finish, and I am sure that no one has a better prospect than he of making a success of it, or of telling us that it has been a success if it has not.

I am sure that the Prime Minister will take my hon. Friend's advice on this, as he does on so many other matters. As for the Angel of the North—which, I should remind the House, yesterday started its journey from Hartlepool—we should not underestimate the public in considering great ventures. The public recognise vision and imagination, and they know how to take pride in another British first. Just as that has been the case with the angel of the north, so it will be with the millennium dome.

Will the hon. Gentleman confirm that a focus of the dome's contents will be a giant-size reclining statue? Will he tell the House out of what substance the statue will be made, and whether it will be male, female or gender neutral?

I really do not want to spoil the hon. Gentleman's fun: I will let him wait a little longer, if he does not mind, for those matters to be fully determined. All I know is that it will be a very fine figure indeed, creating opportunities of great educational value and inspiration for all those who have the chance to travel round its body.

Will my hon. Friend bear in mind the fact that there are loads of people in Britain who have not been carried away with the type of enthusiasm that he displays for the millennium dome, which was a folly of the Tory Government when it began its journey? Has the dome passed the financial point of no return? Is there still a possibility of saving some of that money so that it can be spent, for example, on a millennium hospital—rather than on Heseltine's folly?

No. The funds that were set aside by Parliament for the millennium celebration could not otherwise be spent on education or hospitals. It is worth reminding the House that only 20 per cent. of the Millennium Commission's expenditure on the millennium celebrations is being devoted to the dome, and that 80 per cent. is being devoted to major, landmark projects and to tremendous investment in community organisations, projects and enrichment in every part of the United Kingdom.

What estimate he has made of the number of people from the south-west of England who will visit the millennium experience.[27616]

The New Millennium Experience Company estimates that 12 million visits will be made to the millennium experience. Well over 8 million of those will be from the United Kingdom, and I hope that very many of those will come from the south-west.

Would the hon. Gentleman be surprised if I told him that I cannot find a single one of my constituents in Somerset who has the slightest intention of going to south-east London? Will he accept that, if some hon. Members are not enthusiastic about the millennium dome, it is not because we are philistines or because we lack any vision or imagination, but simply because we have a different set of priorities?

The hon. Gentleman probably underestimates his own constituents. I think they are capable of being challenged and inspired by this great celebration, and I look forward to welcoming very many of them to Greenwich to the millennium dome.