Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 December 2014
72. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the reason An Post is not retaining the lotto business as it now appears that this business has been handed to a company outside Ireland; the implications for jobs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47490/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, in February of this year, I granted the next licence to operate the National Lottery to Premier Lotteries Ireland delivering €405 million to the Irish citizen. As I announced in Budget 2014, half of the proceeds from the Lottery licence transaction were allocated to help fund a number of job rich projects across the country including the Wild Atlantic Way, the 1916 Commemoration and the National Sports Campus. The full list of these projects can be viewed on my Department's website at www.per.gov.ie. The other half of the proceeds, received in a second instalment last week, will be used to help fund the construction of the new National Children's Hospital - the largest, most complex and significant capital investment project ever undertaken in healthcare in Ireland, which will also have a major job creation impact.
The lottery licence was awarded following an open, transparent, competitive process. The new operator, Premier Lotteries Ireland, a joint venture between An Post and Camelot, the operator of the UK national lottery, aims to grow the business. While a small number of staff have availed of voluntary severance arrangements, the vast majority of staff of An Post National Lottery Company have transferred to the new operator. I am sure the Deputy will agree with me that the outcome of the award process for the lottery licence has been very successful and has had a positive impact on job creation.
