Helen Keogh
Question:75 Ms Keogh asked the Minister for Finance the amount received by An Post in respect of its management of the national lottery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13230/96]
Written Answers. - National Lottery.
It has not been the practice to disclose this commercially sensitive information. As the Deputy will appreciate, it would be particularly inappropriate to do so at this stage lest it influence the conduct of parties who would have an interest in the position when the existing licence to operate the national lottery expires.
Helen Keogh
Question:76 Ms Keogh asked the Minister for Finance when the current licensing agreement for the national lottery was last extended; the reason therefor; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13231/96]
The current licence under which the An Post National Lottery Company operates the national lottery came into effect on 1 January 1994 and will run to 31 March 2000. It replaces the earlier licence granted for a period of ten years from October 1986. That licence was revoked with effect from 1 January 1994.
As the player base for the national lottery continued to grow rapidly, the company concluded that substantial investment in upgraded technology was required to enhance game support services to players,inter alia by facilitating improved on-line access via terminals. Accordingly, following a public competitive tendering process, the National Lottery Company requested ministerial approval for contractual arrangements which would deliver improved technology on the most competitive terms. To maximise the gains under the terms negotiated, and in recognition of the need for continuity in responding to challenges in the marketplace arising, for example, from the introduction of the UK lottery, the Minister for Finance agreed, following consultation with the Attorney General, to issue a fresh licence running from 1 January 1994 to 31 March 2000. The new licence provides for maximum gains from the investment in new technology by the National Lottery Company and a better return to the national lottery beneficiary fund.