Eoghan Murphy (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he is considering including the natural environment as a category for financial support in the upcoming National Lotteries Bill. [15638/13]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The categories for the disbursement of National Lottery funds provided for in section 41 of the National Lottery Bill 2012 include national culture and heritage (including the Irish language) and youth, welfare and amenities. These categories are quite wide and would not prohibit the funding of community projects which have an environmental dimension. Consequently, I am of the view that a specific category called the Natural Environment is not required.

Furthermore, the inclusion of a new category would inevitably lead to demands for the inclusion of other specific categories, thus leading to greater demands on the amount of funding available and the dilution of the effectiveness of those funds. Accordingly, I do not propose to alter the categories of good causes specified in the Bill.