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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 12 Nov 1991

Vol. 412 No. 5

Written Answers. - National Lottery.

Peter Barry

Question:

44 Mr. Barry asked the Minister for Finance if he will put a limit on the amount of money any one person can win in the national lottery.

Garrett Fitzgerald

Question:

96 Dr. G. FitzGerald asked the Minister for Finance if he will consider placing a maximum payout of £1 million on any single national lottery prize and that moneys in excess of this amount be directed as aid to the developing world in view of our totally inadequate official Third World aid contribution.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 44 and 96 together.

The Government are anxious to ensure the ongoing viability of the national lottery so as to safeguard this important source of funding for the many socially desirable programmes which are now assisted by the national lottery.

Occasional large jackpots are popular with players. They help to sustain public interest in the lotto and encourage additional players to participate. They thus help to ensure its on-going success.

To put a "cap" on the size of lotto jackpots would, I feel, run the risk of undermining public interest in participation and could well jeopardise the long term success of the game. In the circumstances, I do not propose to issue a direction to An Post National Lottery Company to change the prize structure of the lotto.

In general the use of lottery moneys is confined to domestic programmes. However, I would remind the House that we have used lottery moneys for disaster relief in the past — such as for the earth-quake in Armenia — and earlier this year the Government directed that £600,000 of lottery funds be allocated to the Department of Foreign Affairs for disaster relief in addition to the £1 million of Exchequer moneys already allocated for this purpose.

The issue of the level of Ireland's Official Development Assistance is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Foreign Affairs. However, I might mention that the Government have contributed some £45 million in 1991 on Overseas Development Assistance; an increase of 25 per cent on the 1990 allocation.

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