Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 1 Feb 1994

Vol. 438 No. 1

Written Answers. - National Lottery.

Róisín Shortall

Question:

25 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Finance if he will consider amending the National Lottery Act, 1986, to allow for unclaimed prize money to be given to charity rather then reverting to the prize fund, on the grounds that this would be fairer to the charitable organisations whose fundraising efforts have been adversely affected by the national lottery and also because the present system merely boosts national lottery sales; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Robert Molloy

Question:

31 Mr. Molloy asked the Minister for Finance if he endorses the commitment (details supplied) that charitable organisations which suffered reduced revenue from their own lotteries as a result of the operation of the national lottery would receive sympathetic consideration for funding from the proceeds of the national lottery; and, if so, the action, if any, that is being taken to implement these commitments.

Paul Connaughton

Question:

32 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Finance his views on the commitments given in 1987 that charitable lotteries would not be affected by the national lottery; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for Finance (Mr. B. Ahern)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 25, 31 and 32 together.

In the course of the debate on the national lottery legislation in 1986 the Government gave a commitment to make funding available to voluntary bodies, then holding periodical lotteries, who could demonstrate satisfactorily that the national lottery had adversely affected their proceeds. While the operators of some charitable lotteries have adverted to this commitment in representations, they have not put a specific case to me nor have they specifically requested compsenation.

There would, in any event, be a practical difficulty with evaluating any such claims for compensation. Private lotteries are not subject to the same rigorous and transparent accounting procedures which apply to the national lottery. They are not obliged to publish audited accounts and have not done so. In the absence of reliable audited data for this sector, it is not possible to make any comprehensive analysis of revenue trends over time, which would be a prerequisite for any compensation claim.

Even if such data were available, it could be wrong to assume that any changes in the performance of individual lotteries were primarily due to the advent of the national lottery. It would not be practical to disentangle the effect on their sales of factors other than the national lottery such as the way in which those lotteries were managed, changes in consumer preferences or the general economic situation. In this regard, I am mindful of the fact that one of the most successful of the private lotteries only came into existence subsequent to the introduction of the national lottery.

I should also point out that a clear distinction needs to be made between charitable fundraising generally and the income to charities from charitable lotteries. Very little is known about how much of the turnover of private lotteries accrues to the charities which they support. However, even if income from their lottery activities were declining, market research has shown that public contributions to charitable fundraising in general have continued to grow since the introduction of the national lottery.

I should also remind the House that very many charitable and voluntary bodies have received grants of national lottery funds since the lottery was introduced.

It would not be necessary to amend the National Lottery Act, 1986 to allow for unclaimed prize money to be given to charity as the provision in relation to unclaimed prizes is contained in the rules of the lottery which it is open to the Minister for Finance to amend. In the light of the position which I have outlined in relation to the charities, I do not propose to amend the rules on the lines suggested by the Deputy.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

26 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Finance the total available to the Exchequer from the national lottery for distribution by various Government Departments in each of the years from 1989 to date; the gross amounts awarded by Departments for various schemes in each of the years; the amounts drawn down; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for Finance (Mr. B. Ahern)

I would like to refer the Deputy to the reply which I issued to a similar question by Deputy Gilmore on 16 December 1993.

The national lottery surplus available for distribution to the beneficiary projects in each of the years since 1989 was as follows:

Year	Surplus
	£m
1989	47.685
1990	72.429
1991	93.035
1992	105.230
1993	89.363

Details of the allocations to individual Departments and of actual expenditure for the years 1989-1992 inclusive are contained in the relevant Appropriation Accounts, copies of which are available in the Dail Library. In relation to 1993, details of national lottery allocations and of the estimated outturn are contained respectively in the 1993 Revised Estimates and in the 1994 Abridged Estimates volumes, which are also available in the Dáil Library.