Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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241. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the amount paid in 2013 and 2014 and in 2015 to date, and the plans for future payments, under the national lottery good causes fund, in respect of the natural environment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29607/15]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The National Lottery provides funds for "Good Causes" in accordance with the National Lottery Act 2013.  The areas to be funded are set out under section 41 (1) of the National Lottery Act as follows:

- sport and recreation;

- national culture and heritage (including the Irish language);

- the arts (within the meaning of the Arts Act 2003);

- health of the community;

- youth, welfare and amenities;

- natural environment (added in the 2013 Act);

- such other objectives (if any) as the Government may determine from time to time.

A breakdown by Department of all the expenditure areas that are supported by the proceeds of the National Lottery is set out in Appendix 1 of the annual Revised Estimates for Public Services (available at ).

Funding is provided by the Oireachtas, in accordance with the Act, through expenditure subheads which form part of Departmental Programmes. For over a decade, the total allocation for these subheads has exceeded the amount available from the National Lottery. These subheads are described as being part-funded by the National Lottery and the balance of the expenditure allocation for the subheads comes from normal Exchequer sources (e.g. tax revenue or borrowing).

The 2013 Act provided for a new areathe Natural Environmentto be added to the list of categories that may be funded by the Lottery. To date lottery money has not been applied to this area.  However, since 2011 some €259 million has been disbursed to the environment sector from the Environment Fund.  To this should be added some €146 million provided to the environment sector by way of Exchequer Voted expenditure by the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government.  Decisions on lottery funding for the natural environment will be considered in the context of the level of funds available for Good Causes in the relevant year and the impact that it will have on other areas already in receipt of Lottery funds.  The matter is being kept under review.