Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Is it possible for the Minister to extend the licence for six or 12 months to allow this if he believes it is better that an independent regulator runs the lottery competition, as he believes should happen in 20 years time? We will agree to disagree. I do not see the urgency to pass legislation to establish the national lottery regulator to run a national lottery competition licence in 20 years time when the House could be dealing with 1,000 more urgent issues. If the Minister thinks it is such a good idea that a regulator does it he should practice what he preaches and put in place a regulator now, even with a temporary mechanism, or hold a competition for several months. The Minister does not need the money for the children's hospital this year. It could arise next spring. It does not have to be before the end of December. I presume the current national lottery licence has a mechanism. Given the Minister is so convinced the current competition would be better if it were done by a regulator, whoever he would have to clear it with, regarding EU procurement, extending the licence or the troika, would happily agree on the basis the Minister was doing it solely to allow an independent regulator conduct the licence rather than it being conducted by a Minister. We will not debate the licences issued by Ministers of the previous Government of which Deputy Howlin was a member. Perhaps he has learned a lesson but he should implement it. Perhaps it is better that a regulator conducts the next competition.

Given that we have 30,000 fewer public servants than we had several years ago the OPW has office space available to it. If a regulator is put in place, but will be merged with a gambling regulator in the future, I ask the Minister to ensure this new regulator does not sign up to a 35 year lease which cannot be exited when the regulators are to be merged. I ask the Minister not to enter into any commitment for the new regulator next year, because from what he has stated it will be a temporary arrangement until we have a larger suite of regulators.

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