asked the Minister for Finance the total amount of surplus funds available from the national lottery at present; the total amount committed by way of grant approvals/allocations to date; whether any existing approvals or commitments are likely to be drawn against the current total available from the fund; if previous allocations not already drawn down and in some cases withdrawn are taken into account in determining the current total available for distribution from the proceeds of the national lottery; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - National Lottery Surplus Funds.
109.
The national lottery surplus available for spending in 1989 is estimated at £61 million, including the amount carried forward from 1988 and present estimates of the surplus for 1989.
Lottery allocations announced by the Government in the period to end-1988 total £72.234 million. As indicated in my reply to questions tabled in the Dáil on 2 May 1989, the Government have not yet finalised their consideration of lottery allocations for 1989 and I am not, therefore, in a position to make a statement on the details of these allocations. I have, however, already intimated to the Dáil that the bulk of the surplus available in 1989 will be required to meet the 1989 costs of projects and programmes which were approved for funding from the lottery in 1987 and in 1988.