§ Mr. WilsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether the completion of the internal market in the European Community after 1992 will have any impact on the controls imposed by United Kingdom law on the distribution and sale of lottery tickets produced by other member countries;
(2) whether it is the policy or Her Majesty's Government, in the context of the completion of the single market, to maintain national legislation on gambling games on grounds of public morality and consumer protection.
§ Mr. Peter LloydThe Commission's White Paper programme for the completion of the single market does not contain proposals for the harmonisation of gambling legislation. So far as we are aware, the Commission does not at present have plans to bring forward any such proposals. It is Her Majesty's Government's policy that controls on gambling are matters for national authorities.
§ Mr. WilsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has contacted the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany on the distribution of478W Suddeutschen Klassenlotterie tickets in the United Kingdom; and whether he has asked that Government to withdraw authorisation of that lottery in Germany.
§ Mr. Peter LloydWe have discussed with the Federal Republic of Germany possible means of preventing the distribution of Suddeutsche Klassenlotterie tickets in the United Kingdom. The director of the lottery has drawn to the notice of the lottery's agents that the mass promotion of the lottery in another country where that is unlawful is contrary to the rules under which the agents operate. We shall continue to liaise with both the director and the relevant authorities in Germany about examples of agents promoting the Suddeutsche Klassenlotterie in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. WilsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what measures he has taken to prevent the unauthorised sale of foreign lottery tickets in the United Kingdom;
(2) what representations he has recently made to Governments of member countries in the European Community to prevent the unauthorised sale of lottery tickets in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. Peter LloydTogether, where appropriate, with the Gaming Board for Great Britain, Her Majesty's Customs and Excise and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, a number of measures are taken to prevent or curtail the promotion of foreign lotteries in the United Kingdom.
Representations are, if necessary, made to the authorities in the country concerned. Of European Community countries, such representations have been made to the Federal Republic of Germany. Representations have also been made to the authorities in Austria, as a result of which that country's national lottery has undertaken to cease their promotional activities in this country, and to the authorities in British Columbia, Canada.
If advertisements for foreign lotteries appear in magazines published here, the provisions of our law are drawn to the attention of the publishers who have previously undertaken not to publish such advertisements again. In addition, Her Majesty's Customs and Excise have seized substantial quantities of promotional letters intended to be posted individually here but imported in bulk.
§ Mr. WilsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has on lottery sales, in £ million per annum, in EC countries.
§ Mr. Peter LloydWe do from time to time receive information about expenditure on gambling in other EC countries, but we do not at present have any consistent or reliable figures for lottery sales. Such figures may in due course be available as part of a study now being conducted on behalf of the European Commission.