Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Thursday, 23 March 2023
Public Accounts Committee
Business of Committee
9:30 am
Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
I believe that was the evidence. My understanding is that whatever the organisation manages to sell the licence for is clean new profit, which raises significant questions about the competence of the people who privatised the lottery service in the first place.
We should ask whether consideration is being given to purchasing the licence. There are 11 years left in its life, as it is nearly halfway through its term. Knowing it has been profitable for the organisation that purchased it, it would seem eminently sensible that the licence be brought back into public ownership. We can seek clarification on this. At a minimum, we should seek clarification of the role of State agencies in terms of who will be overseeing same and what roles the regulator and Department will have. Clarifying all of these points would be useful.