National Lottery Bill

I shall begin as I began when I summed up the last debate, namely, by thanking the Minister. He has been extraordinarily generous in his remarks to me and to my hon. Friend the Member for East Dunbartonshire (Jo Swinson) on the new clause that we tabled. I am also grateful for his kind comments about the diligence with which I study explanatory notes. I hope that he noticed that I did not even refer to that episode in my opening remarks, having decided to reserve mention until this point, had the Minister failed to mention it. However, he has admitted that he made an error and confirmed that it will be changed, and I welcome that, as I welcome the spirit of his remarks. In relation to new clause 3, I understand, just about, the Minister’s point about it adding bureaucracy to the system, but the example he gave suggested that by making it easier to fill in an application form, it would somehow lengthen the time it takes for someone to access the funds. I have difficulty in coming to terms with that, but perhaps in a subsequent private conversation he will explain to me how that could be the case. I am grateful to the Minister for confirming what I said earlier about the St. Paul’s issue and he is 100 per cent. right to say that the newspaper concerned owes its readers and all the bodies concerned an early correction of the error. I acknowledge what he said about the need to ensure that lottery distributors do not promote the playing of the lottery and lottery games, but it is important that they should promote the good causes. I genuinely believe that the lottery distributors are doing that already and they are doing a good job. I hear from Sir Clive Booth, the excellent chairman of the Big Lottery Fund, that every time I mention his name and call him excellent, one of his relatives goes—well, the expression he used is one that I probably should not use in the Chamber. Let us say that his relative is delighted when I make the connection between Sir Clive and excellence. In any case, I very much welcome the good work that the BLF and other distributors are doing. Given the assurances that the Minister has given, it would be sensible to acknowledge that the work that I want to happen will happen and I shall therefore not press the issue to a vote. I welcome the Minister’s assurances and I beg to ask leave to withdraw the motion. Motion and clause, by leave, withdrawn.