Clause 5 - Fees
National Lottery Bill
4:00 pm
Hugo Swire (Shadow Minister (the Arts), The Family & Culture, Media & Sport; East Devon, Conservative)
I beg to move amendment No. 23, in clause 5, page 3, line 29, at end insert—
'(2A) The level of fee prescribed shall be the Secretary of State's estimate of the cost to the Secretary of State and the National Lottery Commission of performing their duties under this Act.'.
Clause 5 deals with the annual fee payable by the licence holder. The amendment would say exactly what level of fee should be paid by the operator. I am grateful to the Minister for telling me in a written answer the level of fee previously paid into the Consolidated Fund.
I make what I hope is a helpful suggestion; the Minister should place in the Bill a precise definition of what the fee should be so as to avoid confusion. That would guard against the possibility of fee being used as a revenue-raising operation, and would reassure those bidding for the operator licence. It would also ensure that a less fair-minded successor to the Minister could not rack up the licence fee, rather as the Chancellor did with the 3G mobile phone network. It is a straightforward amendment, seeking clarification and it invites the Minister to define precisely what it is to which he is alluding.