Clause 6 - Licensing structure
National Lottery Bill
4:00 pm
Hugo Swire (Shadow Minister (the Arts), The Family & Culture, Media & Sport; East Devon, Conservative)
Clause 6 makes some alterations to the licensing structure. An order made under subsection (1) may
''make transitional or incidental provision . . . bring all or part of Schedule 1 into force . . . make different provision for different purposes''
and so forth. On the face of it, it seems straightforward.
I am sure, Mr. Gale, that you will correct me if I go wide of the mark, but that raises the question of the licence and the licensing structure surrounding it. This morning, under a different Chairman, we alluded to the granting of the licence, what form the structure would take and how the licence would be arrived at.
It was interesting to read—in The Mail on Sunday, I think—an article on Camelot, how the Government are now proceeding with the licence, the licensing structure and the disappointment of some of the contenders, who had hoped that the rules would be changed to give some of the potential new entrants financial assistance with the multimillion pound cost of bidding. I do not think that that has happened.
There is the question of Camelot's inbuilt advantage; its instant access to information on lottery playing trends when its competitors have to start from scratch. The issue is about whether the licensing structure favours any one applicant and whether the Minister will sell it as a piece of internal housekeeping once the licence has been granted.
At this stage, anything that prevents potential bidders from bidding—whether that be the costs involved, the duration of the licence or the whole licensing structure set out in clause 6—should be discouraged. We remember the last lottery selection process; it was described by Richard Branson, who we learn is not going to bid again, as a sham. I hope that we are not left with a position in which the licence application and structure are to the liking of one bidder, but a deterrent to the others. Camelot won the last licence bid in 2000. This morning, the hon. Member for Bath (Mr. Foster) was keen to say how well the lottery was doing—