London Olympics Bill

None of us will forget where we were when we heard that London had won the contest to host the 2012 Olympic games. The whole country is conscious that the games can be a tremendous showcase for our capital city and our country. I, too, congratulate the Secretary of State, the Minister for Sport and Tourism, Lord Coe and the team behind the bid. We all remember great Olympic moments of the past such as the titanic struggle between Sebastian Coe, as he was then, and Steve Ovett a couple of decades ago or Kelly Holmes’s recent triumph in Athens. I am sure that the 2012 games will bring us more memorable sporting moments, hopefully with British winners. As has been said, sadly, the moment of celebration when we won the games will for ever be entwined with the terrible events of the next day, when terrorism came to our capital city and an act of hate against the very diversity and plurality that helped us to win the games brought death and grief to London. We await news of today’s events, which show that that moment has not yet passed. We are still hunting those behind the bombings and still engaged in the much longer fight against the ideology that led people to commit terrible crimes against ordinary people who were going about their daily business. Our capital city and our country will not give up in the face of those who have attacked our way of life. We will lift ourselves to reclaim the spirit that won the games and we all hope that we will stage a games that captivates the world and of which our country is proud. The Bill sets out a structure for managing the planning of the games and the financial arrangements for the huge investment required to make them a success, both of which are vital factors in a successful Olympics. The British people celebrated winning the games and look forward to a wonderful sporting showcase, but they also expect the games to be properly organised and delivered on time, and they expect the costs to be controlled. They are entirely right to take that approach, which is why it is welcome that the Bill sets out proposals for the ODA to manage our approach to the games. The ODA faces a huge logistical and financial task. It must plan the games in a manner that inspires and maintains enthusiasm while commanding public confidence. It must ensure value for money and that the games result in not only 17 days of fantastic sport, but a legacy of lasting benefit to the whole country. The ODA has one other essential task, which is to deliver on the Government’s intention that the whole country should benefit from hosting the games. Of course, the primary benefits will be in London. London is the host city and London will receive the lion’s share of the spending involved. We understand that. But the Minister and the Secretary of State will be aware that, to maintain the great spirit of optimism about the games that we witnessed at the announcement, there must be continued efforts to ensure that other parts of Britain benefit. Hon. Members from many parts of the country have pressed Ministers for their areas to host events or training facilities, each arguing the benefits of their own area. The west midlands, like other regions, will want to host training for competing countries and to play as large a role as possible in the games. There is already a commitment to host football in Birmingham at Villa Park. We have some excellent sporting facilities in the region, and a long tradition of producing wonderful athletes. Any country that comes to the west midlands to prepare for the games will find first-class facilities and a very warm welcome. There is another dimension to what the west midlands can contribute to the Olympic games. The region is the manufacturing heartland of the UK. It has good access to London. We have world-class companies that excel in their fields and a strong record of innovation in science and technology. In information and communications technology, a recent survey found that more than a third of the sector in the region is growing at more than 20 per cent. per annum. Property and accommodation costs are much lower than in London. The region has led the way in ethnic minority business start-ups and has a highly committed work force that will relish the opportunity to help to deliver the games. Given the enormous amount of construction work that is needed, along with equipment and supplies, the west midlands is well placed to make a tremendous contribution. Of course, that will require investment to ensure the right mix and level of skills, but what we need most of all from Government is the opportunity to make the kind of contribution of which the region is capable. Today, I spoke to people at CBI West Midlands and our regional development agency, Advantage West Midlands. I am pleased that clause 34 specifically refers to regional development agencies and their role in preparing for the games. In our region, they are already working together with local authorities, educational institutions and the tourism sector to ensure that the region makes the most of the opportunities offered by London hosting the games. Their plan covers three essential elements—facilities for teams to prepare, business procurement and tourism—to ensure that the region extends the warmest possible welcome to the hundreds of thousands of people who will come to Britain in connection with the games. I assure Ministers that I will send them a copy of the plan, and I hope that they and the organisers of the delivery of the games will give it full and proper consideration. In thinking about how the country can share fully in the games and go beyond the formal hosting of events and provision of training facilities, important as those are, we must also think about how the investment and job opportunities involved in making the games happen can be shared around the country. Although London will host the games, the west midlands can, in many ways, make the games. If the country pulls together to deliver the games, as I am sure that it will, we can create a truly unforgettable event. No other sporting event has the global reach of the Olympic games. We will recover from the attack on our way of life that took place two weeks ago and triumph over the ideology that led to it. If we manage this project properly, our Olympics can show Britain at its best—a modern, open country, confident in itself, sure of its place in the world and the showcase for a sporting festival in which the whole world can share.