Vol. 472 No. 8
42 Kathleen Lynch asked the Minister for Finance the percentage of national lottery revenue spent on marketing activities; if he will place a cap on the percentage of lottery revenue which can be used to market the national lottery in the context of the current review of the national lottery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24149/96]
The National Lottery Company operates the national lottery under licence from the Minister for Finance. While the approval of the Minister for Finance is required for games offered by the company, the Minister does not have a direct role in relation to the company's day to day operations. It is a matter for the board and management of the company to decide how much to spend on its marketing campaigns in the light of prevailing conditions in the market. I trust the Deputy will understand that, in line with general commercial practice, it would not be appropriate to disclose the amounts spent on marketing. I have no plans to impose a cap on the amount that may be spent on marketing along the lines referred to by the Deputy. The review to which the Deputy refers is primarily concerned with the procedures for distribution of the surplus of the national lottery for beneficiary projects, rather than the financial performance of the National Lottery Company itself.
