§ Mr. SteinbergTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what consideration he has given to the establishment of a charitable foundation to(a) operate the national lottery and (b) distribute the funds from the national lottery; and what would be the financial effects of doing so.
§ Mr. SproatThe question of a charitable foundation to operate the national lottery was debated extensively in both Houses during the passage of the legislation.(a) The licence to operate the lottery will be awarded by the Director General of the National Lottery after a competitive tender exercise designed to maximise the proceeds for good causes. There is no reason why a charitable foundation should not bid for the licence.
(b) Any new body established to assess applications for lottery funds would need expertise in the areas of art, sport and heritage. Statutory bodies with this expertise already exist. Duplication of the functions of these bodies would be inefficient and reduce the national lottery proceeds available for good causes.