Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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68. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if annual contributions for good causes will be set at 65% of gross gaming revenues; if it will be provided for in the new national lottery licence recently awarded to Premier Lotteries Ireland. [47232/13]

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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69. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the recently concluded award of the new national lottery licence to Premier Lotteries Ireland secured an up-front payment of €400 million. [47233/13]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 68 and 69 together.

As I announced on 3rd October 2013, Premier Lotteries Ireland Limited, a consortium comprising Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (the owner of the Camelot Group), An Post and An Post pension funds, has been selected as the preferred applicant for the next National Lottery licence. Premier Lotteries Ireland Limited met the Essential Requirements provided for in the competition for the licence and submitted the highest Licence Fee proposal which is 405 million euro.

The detailed work on finalizing the licence with the preferred applicant has commenced. However, the licence has not yet been signed. Under the terms of the new licence, half of the upfront payment is to be paid within ten working days of the signature of the licence. The remaining half of the upfront payment is to be paid within nine months of the signature of the licence.

I can confirm that under the next licence, the annual contributions for Good Causes will be set at 65% of gross gaming revenues.