§ 26. Mr. ISAAC FOOTasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much of the £21,200,000, estimated to have been subscribed from Great Britain to the Irish sweepstakes, may be estimated to have been spent on sellers' commission, expenses, and prizes; on grants to hospitals and other public purposes; on payment of duties levied by the Irish Free State; and on prizes distributed in Great Britain, respectively?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for the HOME DEPARTMENT (Sir John Gilmour)As the answer contains a num- 921 ber of figures, I will, with the hon. Member's permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Mr. FOOTAre the figures voluminous, and, if not, could they not be given now? I do not press for them if they are?
§ Sir J. GILMOURThey are very considerable, and I do not think the House would understand them if I read them.
§ Following is the answer:
§ I can give only approximate figures based on the assumption that the amount subscribed in Great Britain to the nine sweepstakes promoted by the Hospitals Trust Limited, Dublin, is proportionate to the prizes known to have been won in this country. On this basis the estimated figures are as follow:
| £ | |
| Sellers' commission | 3,540,000 |
| Expenses (in addition to sellers' commission) | 1,510,000 |
| Sellers' prizes | 200,000 |
| Available surplus to hospitals, etc. | 3,770,000 |
| Irish Free State, Stamp Duty | 600,000 |
| Prizes won in Great Britain | 11,330,000 |
§ It will be seen that the total of these figures does not exactly tally with the sum of £21,200,000 mentioned, but it will be appreciated that the basis of calculation does not enable precise figures to be given.