What role the Archbishop of Canterbury will have in the events in the Dome on 31 December. [83437]

The New Millennium Experience Company is discussing the arrangements for the opening celebrations at the dome with a number of interested parties, including the royal household, the Government and Lambeth palace. The nature and scope of the celebrations will be announced in due course.

Having ducked my question on two previous occasions, will the Secretary of State take this opportunity to inform the House whether he agrees that, whatever else it may be, the millennium is the celebration of the 2,000th anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ; that, at the very least, the Archbishop should be invited to attend the ceremony and, as we do in the House at the beginning of proceedings, to say a prayer; and that the same duty should be asked of the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, to be undertaken in Scotland?

If the right hon. Gentleman will not acknowledge that fact, will he tell us what his input is in those discussions with Lambeth palace and what the Archbishop has said, so far, about what he would like to do at midnight on 31 December?

As I have said consistently, the millennium is an important Christian anniversary and our celebrations should reflect that fact, but it is also important that those celebrations should be inclusive and accessible to people of all faiths and none. That is the spirit in which we have always approached the matter; the same was true of the previous Government. Clearly, it is important that the spiritual significance of the millennium is reflected in the celebrations both during the first weekend of 2000 and throughout the year.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that a number of Christians, including me, are somewhat puzzled by the apparent attempts of the Archbishop of Canterbury to dictate the conditions of his presence at the millennium party, because we were under the impression that Christmas is the Christian festival and that new year's eve is a secular one?

The Archbishop of Canterbury and the leading figures of other branches of the Christian family are closely involved in discussions about preparations for the millennium celebrations, and that is right. Indeed, on the afternoon of 2 January, the first Sunday of 2000, at our proposal, national church services will be held in each of the home countries.

The Secretary of State has to admit that he has a problem on his hands. Is a minute of Christian contemplation too much to ask? If it is, what steps will be taken to avoid an embarrassing boycott by Church leaders? I presume that Ministers wish to avoid the scenario of reluctant Church leaders being prised from their churches and congregations and shunted along the Jubilee line on new year's eve to a secular knees up.

The hon. Gentleman is premature in jumping to conclusions about what will happen on the night of 31 December/1 January. He should wait until the discussions that are under way in a warm and co-operative spirit between all the Churches, leaders of other faiths, the Government, the royal household and the New Millennium Experience Company have reached some conclusions. Then, perhaps, we can have a sensible discussion.