Shane Ross (Independent)

This semi-State company is in chaos and is not being governed by anybody.

Another semi-State operation which should cause us a certain amount of alarm is the National Lottery. I put a motion on the Order Paper today in this regard. It is regrettable that the National Lottery is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act. As a result, it is very difficult to get any information about what is happening. There is a particular instance which the House should examine. While it is difficult to confirm this, apparently it has stopped sellers selling lottery tickets illegally overseas and accepting them for the lottery. This practice went on for approximately 15 years. I tried to investigate the matter but I came up against a brick wall. One cannot get information unless one speaks to the executives involved. Things have gone on behind the scenes which are not clear and which need to be investigated. It is time the matter was either subject to the Freedom of Information Act or there was more transparency from the National Lottery.