Ms Carol Boate:

Thanks to the Comptroller and Auditor General’s report, I have been considering if there is a way of making the figure expended under advertising for the year auditable, which would mean the amount could be published each year. It is not visible in our accounts because it does not go through the accounts of the fund in that way and it is not visible in PLI's audited accounts either. As the Comptroller and Auditor General mentioned earlier, that is because it moves from PLI's bank account to the operator’s account to spend onwards. There is not visibility of the figure for that reason. Even though I put it in the public domain each year, it has not been in a formal set of accounts. I put it in the public domain under a freedom of information request because it is in the public interest within the meaning of that legislation. It does tell the public about the value of the licence and how much money is being spent on promoting the lottery. To clarify, it is more than advertising and marketing. For example, the company has come up with different initiatives over the years such as the good causes awards, which is a pure marketing campaign to raise awareness of some of the ways the national lottery money is spent, and that has been funded out of this fund.