Dinny McGinley
Question:47 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for Finance the total amount of national lottery funds given to his Department in 1993; and the amounts allocated by his Department to other Departments to date in 1993.
Written Answers. - National Lottery Funds.
My Department has responsibility for only one national lottery grant-aided scheme, namely Gaeleagras which is for the training of civil servants in the Irish language. The 1993 allocation for Gaeleagras is £100,000.
The Vote for the Office of Public Works also comes under the responsibility of the Minister for Finance. That Vote includes an allocation of £500,000 for 1993 in respect of the restoration of Kilmainham Gaol.
The second part of the Deputy's question is based upon a misconception. Prior to 1990 all funds for lottery-approved programmes were voted to a single subhead in the Vote of the Office of the Minister for Finance. The Department of Finance, in turn released funds to suspense accounts maintained by the Departments directly responsible for the relevant lottery programmes.
Since 1990, lottery funds are no longer issued from a single subhead in the Finance Vote. The expenditure is instead provided for in ear-marked subheads, i.e. each is designated "National Lottery Funded", in the Votes of the relevant Departments. Accordingly the question of allocations of national lottery funds by my Department to other Departments no longer arises.