Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery Bill

Part of the debate – in the House of Lords at 5:28 pm on 19 July 2004.

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Photo of Lord Moynihan Lord Moynihan Shadow Minister (Sport), Home Affairs 5:28, 19 July 2004

My Lords, this amendment is similar to one that we debated in Grand Committee. Briefly, its purpose, and that of those grouped with it, is to extend the Bill's shelf life. If London is unsuccessful in the 2012 bid—we all hope that that will not be the case—we on these Benches believe that there is a strong case for retaining the legislation so that it could be used to support subsequent bids.

We are all aware that primary legislation is time-consuming and that it is not always easy to find parliamentary time. These relatively simple amendments are designed to ensure that we do not need to revisit our deliberations if the government of the day decide to bid once more for the Olympics and Paralympics. Having re-read our discussions in Grand Committee in Hansard, I am slightly unclear about whether the Minister was unable to accept the amendments because the Bill is a bespoke Bill for the London 2012 games or if it was because there was not the necessary Cabinet authority to extend the Bill's shelf life.

I do not wish to embarrass the Minister, who has always been helpful, not least today, but it would be appreciated if he could clear up a few queries arising from the Committee stage. The Minister agreed that if we did not have the amendments, there would be a need for primary legislation to set up an Olympic lottery Bill for any subsequent bid. However, he also said that even if we accepted the amendment, there would still be a need for primary legislation because,

"the Bill is so specific to London and the funding arrangements".—[Official Report, 6/4/04; col. GC 586.]

I have studied the Bill carefully and I can see nothing in Part 3 that could not be altered to include another city besides London. The other cities across the UK that are capable of bidding for the games will almost all have a mayor. Likewise, they will need to have a suitable local government structure that is analogous to the Greater London Authority. Similarly, and very importantly, I can see nothing in Part 3 that refers to any specific funding arrangements for the London 2012 bid. There is no reference to the expected £750 million that we anticipate the Bill will provide; there is no reference to the £750 million from the other lottery good causes; and there is no reference to the £625 million from the council tax levy or to the £250 million from the London Development Agency. I could go on.

It should be clear that all that the Bill does is to permit the setting up of an Olympic lottery with its specific remit to fund the Olympic Games. Of course, all funding arrangements have been carefully worked out. The memorandum of understanding between the Government and the Mayor of London on funding to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games is very helpful in that respect but it does not appear in the Bill and is not referred to by it.

Is the Minister able to highlight which clauses of the Bill are so specific that they cannot be altered? Similarly, could he kindly point out the clauses on funding that are specific to the London 2012 bid, which it appears I may have missed? If nothing else, the Minister's response in Committee made a refreshing change from the exchanges on Parts 1 and 2, when the Government stressed the need to maintain sufficient flexibility in the Bill to handle events beyond the Government's control. When these Benches sought to extend that flexibility, the Government suddenly appeared to be keen on making sure that the legislation is very specific.

In light of the Minister's comments in Committee, I considered altering my original amendments so that they referred only to future London bids. That would have been easier to draft. I am also very much aware that there is a strong view in the OIC that it would prefer a London bid. However, after much deliberation, I decided to stick with my original wording because it is vitally important that those cities are not excluded from bidding.

The noble Lord, Lord Addington, and the Minister were concerned that the amendment might be portrayed as undermining the London 2012 bid. They will be the first to know that I completely reject that suggestion. Anyone who underestimates the commitment of the London bid team and its chairman, my noble friend Lord Coe, does so at his peril. London remains a serious bid and is now putting in place a world-class bid team with world-class plans. In parenthesis, I mention that it saddens me to think that there have been those who apparently do not realise what a great honour it is to be associated with an Olympic bid. Everyone involved with the bid is there to serve the sportsmen and sportswomen of this country, not to serve vanity. At least my noble friend Lord Coe is now putting together such a group, with the welcome appointment of Mr Sloman.

To conclude, all our amendments are designed to support and strengthen the London 2012 bid. Those amendments in particular will help to ensure that if the unthinkable happens and we get pipped at the post, we are able to learn from the London bid and to try again. I believe that we owe it to future Ministers of Sport to ensure that this legislation is not lost. That is what the amendments are designed to achieve. I beg to move.