§ 1. Mr. Christopher Chope (Christchurch)When he last met the Director General of Oflot to discuss the terms and conditions of the lottery operator's licence. [62126]
§ The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Mr. Chris Smith)I have regular meetings with the director general at which we discuss a range of issues. The most recent such meeting was on 22 October.
§ Mr. ChopeI am grateful to the Secretary of State for that reply. Does he recall that one of the original justifications for having a United Kingdom national lottery was the fact that if we did not have one, foreign lottery operators would be allowed to operate in this country and we would not have any competition to put up against them? Now that Camelot has proved so successful and seen off competition in the home market, does he not think that it is time for the lottery operator to be allowed to sell lottery tickets overseas so that we can get even more remuneration for our favourite causes in this country?
§ Mr. SmithCamelot is considering that. The consent of the Director General of Oflot is required before the idea can proceed, and I am sure that he will consider it carefully. If the idea goes ahead, I hope that Camelot secures a better deal for the lottery players of this country than the hon. Gentleman did for the people of this country when he privatised the Property Services Agency.