Clause 25 - Payments into Fund from National Lottery Distribution Fund
Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery Bill
3:30 pm
Mr Nick Hawkins (Surrey Heath, Conservative)
Again, I wish to raise a small point. It struck me, and it may have struck other Committee members, that the wording of subsection (1) is circular and slightly curious. It states:
''The Secretary of State may make an order permitting the Secretary of State to make payments from the National Lottery Distribution Fund''.
I had not come across this sort of circular drafting, and I wondered whether it was too circular to be necessary. I wonder whether the Minister might deal with that small point.
Subsection (3) requires the Secretary of State to consult each of the bodies currently mentioned in section 23 of the National Lottery Act. I have looked back at the Act as it was originally passed in 1993, and since then there have been some changes—new distributive bodies have been added, and the Government have announced that the New Opportunities Fund and the Community Fund will merge. What form will the consultation take in respect of the sporting distributive bodies under section 23 of the National Lottery Act?
Will the Government put on the record today that they will ensure that whatever consultation they have with sporting distributive bodies under the Act will take place in plenty of time? There have been occasions when concerns have been raised with me, as one of those in the House of Commons who regularly speaks on sport, that sometimes Government consultations with sporting bodies have been rather last minute, although I am not criticising this Minister personally because I know that he takes a personal interest in sport. Since subsection (3) introduces a need for consultation with all the distributive bodies, it would be helpful if the Minister were able to say on the record, so that it is in Hansard, that there will be full consultation with sporting bodies and others involved, in plenty of time.