§ Mr. Liddallasked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that the totalisator on horse racecourses in this country is not operating to the satisfaction of the public; that the odds obtainable are not comparable with the odds obtainable from the totalisator on greyhound-racing tracks; and will he, in order to remove this anomaly, amend the Racecourse Betting Act so as to compel the Racecourse Betting Board to employ independent accountants to certify dividends on horse racecourses?
§ Mr. PeakeMy right hon. Friend has no knowledge of any complaints in this matter or of any justification for the suggestion in the last part of the question. The board's accounts are audited by an independent firm of chartered accountants. As my hon. Friend is aware, various factors determine the dividends paid by a totalisator on any particular race and I do not see how it is possible to make any useful comparison between betting results on different classes of races.