Vol. 482 No. 5
112 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Finance if he will allow animal welfare as an approved category for lottery funding which would allow interested voluntary groups to make applications for funding in view of the growing interest and concern for animal welfare; if so, whether this can be done by ministerial order; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18440/97]
Under the National Lottery Act, 1986, the Government may designate additional purposes for which national lottery funds may be allocated. A notice of any such designation is required to be published in Iris Oifigiúil.
As the Deputy will appreciate, demands for lottery funding greatly exceed the resources available. I have no plans to propose that additional beneficiary categories be designated.
I draw the attention of the Deputy to the reply by the Minister for Agriculture and Food, on 29 January 1997 to a parliamentary question regarding assistance by his Department to animal welfare groups (Official Report, Vol. 474, No. 1, Col. 234).
