Ms Carol Boate:

I understand the Deputy's frustration. I will be clear that I know the numbers. There is only one reason I cannot give them to the committee, which is the confidentiality of that material and the clause in the licence which says that I am not allowed to release the firm's confidential information. It specifically refers to the management accounts of the company and this information comes from its accounts. It does not have to be commercially sensitive, only confidential and not in the public domain, so without the company's permission, I cannot release it. I asked for the company's permission to release it since I knew the Deputy was looking for it but the company was not inclined to give it. I understand the Deputy's frustration in not knowing the amount.

I would like to point out some facts which may be of use to the committee. The first is that, for every cent in profit that the company makes on a national lottery sale, good causes earn three times as much.

The licence is quite robust. I am sure the Deputy is familiar with what happened in the United Kingdom, where profits went up and contributions to good causes went down. That will not happen here as we have a far more robust model. The advertising and promotion that goes to drive sales also drives good causes. As the Deputy said, the licence is designed in this way and my role is to enforce it and ensure the company complies with it.