Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Senator O'Donnell asked Fianna Fáil to second the motion and I am delighted to do so. She will start a national debate on this which is very welcome because people are not fully up to speed with what is happening. Her motion is moderate and in tune with the public. Fianna Fáil has opposed the establishment of a regulator but this is neither here nor there with regard to the motion. We are more than happy to second it.

The motion calls on the Minister to ensure ownership of the licence remains entirely in the State and people would expect this of their national lottery. It is generally the case with lotteries throughout the world, particularly in the United States, that they stay in their own areas and are seen as a badge of nationality. They are national organisations. Spain and Italy have lotteries. Lotteries came together to form a European lottery. In the United States, each state has its own lottery. It is seen as a geographical or national item and this is an important point to remember.

A huge issue arises with regard to the children's hospital towards which a huge amount of goodwill exists. I have no doubt of the huge political goodwill in government and opposition towards it. The legislation the Minister proposed in the other House does not contain a mechanism to ring-fence the money, so by calling for a dedicated weekly draw for the children's hospital, Senator O'Donnell raises an important issue and highlights a major flaw in the Government's proposal. From a legal point of view there is no commitment to give any money from the sale of the lottery licence towards a children's hospital and this will be a point of huge concern for people.

The national lottery was established by a Fine Gael and Labour Party Government in the 1980s, and one of its flaws is that money was never ring-fenced for good causes. Money from the national lottery went straight into the national accounts and this has been true under all Governments involving Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Labour Party over many years. I am led to believe this flaw was pointed out in the 1980s. I complained when I failed to see money going to good-----