Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 12 Feb 1997

Vol. 474 No. 7

Written Answers. - National Lottery.

Seamus Brennan

Ceist:

60 Mr. S. Brennan asked the Minister for Finance the terms of reference of the review group on the national lottery; the names of the people appointed to the group; the budget available to the group; whether he has suggested a timescale within which their report should be delivered to him; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3978/97]

Minister for Finance (Mr. Quinn)

The detailed terms of reference of the national lottery review group are set out below:—

In considering the overall thrust and impact of spending financed from the surplus of the national lottery, the group should focus on the allocation of funds administered by Departments under discretionary schemes involving financial support for voluntary, e.g. sporting and community, agencies.

The group should review the procedures for processing applications and should recommend such improvements as it considers necessary to ensure maximum transparency in the allocation of the lottery surplus. It is not envisaged, however, that the group should review lottery allocations where, by virtue of earlier Government decisions, lottery funding is deemed to be in substitution for Exchequer spending. The group should submit its report to the Minister for Finance by end-February 1997.

Subject to the foregoing, the group will review the procedures by which all allocations from the beneficiary fund for cultural purposes are proposed to Government; and will recommend whatever changes may be necessary to ensure the beneficiary fund contributes effectively to development of the arts, heritage and Irish language sectors as intended at the inception of the national lottery.

The group has an independent chairperson, Mr. Niall Greene, and two independent members, Dr. Kathleen Lynch, UCD and Mr. Richard Burrows, Irish Distillers. It also includes representatives of the Departments of Finance, Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, Education, Social Welfare, Environment and Health.

The review group does not have a specific budget and it is at present anticipated that it will be possible to meet expenditure arising from its work from within the existing provisions for the Vote for my Department.

As the Deputy will note, the original timescale envisaged the submission of a report by end-February 1997. However, in view of the complexity of the task, a more realistic target date at this stage would, I feel, be end-April 1997, and I have informed the group of this.

Helen Keogh

Ceist:

61 Ms Keogh asked the Minister for Finance the amount of grants which have been paid out or approved to individuals, organisations or clubs in the area of the Cork East constituency which were funded from the national lottery. [3980/97]

Minister for Finance (Mr. Quinn)

The information in the form requested is not readily available.

A national lottery beneficiary compendium which details lottery funded expenditure from 1987, when the lottery started, to end-1994 was recently issued by my Department. It is intended that this compendium will be regularly updated.

Details of lottery funded expenditure in 1995 are contained in the appropriation accounts. Copies of these documents are available in the Oireachtas Library. The 1996 appropriation accounts will be published later this year.