London Olympics Bill

It is exactly five months since 6 July, when we won the games bid in Singapore. I want to finish my remarks on the Bill where I started on Second Reading by congratulating all those who worked so hard to bring the Olympic games to London. I say that not because it is a nice thing to say at the end of the passage of a piece of legislation but because I genuinely mean it. I pay tribute to Lord Coe, Keith Mills and everybody involved in the bid at London 2012. I congratulate the other shareholders: the Government, particularly the Prime Minister, who did so much in the days running up to the bid, the Secretary of State and the Minister, who has dealt with the Bill as it has gone through the House; the Mayor of London; and the British Olympic Association, especially the Princess Royal, who did particularly well in Singapore and has not, in some quarters, received the thanks that she deserves. I also hope—again, I say this very honestly—that the Minister will take back to his Department my thanks and those of my party to his civil servants, who have worked extremely hard on the bid and on the Bill as it has gone through the House. Delivering a successful Olympic games in 2012 will not be easy, and there is no doubt that it is a considerable challenge, but the Bill’s Third Reading marks a significant moment in delivery on the pledges made to the IOC in Singapore. Although the Bill is not lengthy in parliamentary terms, it is quite complex, setting up a regional development agency in the Olympic Delivery Authority in the first half and establishing the ground rules for the commercial media rights in the second. I am pleased that we have found so much common ground, have been able to improve the Bill, and have been able to maintain cross-party support. As the Bill leaves our House, I have only three outstanding concerns. To be honest, I must say that not all of them relate to the Bill. First, sport as a whole must benefit from our hosting the games in 2012. I think that there is a good deal of cross-party agreement on that, but it is not yet entirely clear how it will be achieved. I should like effort to be concentrated on three elements. Much good work has already been done on reform of the organisation of sport—I commend the Minister for that—but there is more to be done, along the lines of what has been suggested by the Independent Sports Review. We also need the funds that are necessary to meet the British Olympic Association’s objective of moving us from 10th to fourth in the medal table. There are also implications for non-Olympic sports, particularly mass-participation sports. It is feared that funds will be diverted from them to the Olympics. Our second main concern, which has been discussed at length today, is the impact of cost overruns on the London council tax payer. Finally, there is a small issue that I fear may cause problems in the other place: the reversal of the presumption of innocence. If the Government are prepared to offer concessions on any of those three outstanding issues, it will ease the Bill’s passage. Having said that, I bid it fair passage. I thank the Minister and his civil servants for what they have done, and reaffirm my party’s support for the Bill and, indeed, the games. The Olympics are the most unique historic and valuable asset in world sport. I am delighted and, like sport-lovers throughout the country, not a little excited that London is to host the games in 2012.