Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 15 Nov 1994

Vol. 447 No. 1

Ceisteanna—Questions. Written Answers. - National Lottery Funds.

Dinny McGinley

Question:

100 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for Finance the total receipts of national lottery funding distributed by his Department for each year from 1987 to date in 1994; and the amount given to each Department each year. [3337/94]

Minister for Finance (Mr. B. Ahern)

Prior to 1990 all funds for lottery-approved programmes were voted in a single subhead in the Vote for my Department. The Department in turn, released funds to suspense accounts maintained by the Departments directly responsible for the relevant lottery-funded programmes. This system was appropriate in the early stages of the lottery when the amount of funds available could not be accurately predicted early in the year. Technically, therefore, my Department distributed all lottery allocations in the period 1987-1989.

Details of departmental allocations and of actual expenditure by the Departments of funds raised through the lottery are contained in the relevant Appropriation Accounts, copies of which are available in the Oireachtas Library. Lottery funds actually spent by my Department were as follows:

Year	Outturn
	£m
1987	Nil
1988	Nil
1989	0.029
1990	0.108
1991	0.071
1992	0.336
1993	0.100
1994	0.100

Apart from a grant of £250,000 paid to the Irish Institute of European Affairs in Louvain in 1992, all other payments were made to Gaelgras na Seirbhíse Poiblí. The Vote of the Office of Public Works also comes under my responsibility and the position in relation to same is as follows:

Year	Outturn
	£m
1987	Nil
1988	1.737
1989	1.497
1990	1.968
1991	1.366
1992	1.296
1993	0.080
1994	1.150