National Lottery Bill

moved Amendment No. 28:"Page 9, line 15, at end insert—" ““(   )   The Secretary of State must publish directions given under this section.”” The noble Viscount said: Before moving Amendment No. 28, I thank the Minister for his reply to the previous discussion. I will not be pursuing Amendment No. 29 this evening. I retain my concern about the description and definition of ““independence”” when it comes to the boards of non-departmental public bodies, but we will very likely come back to that on another occasion. I turn to this amendment. As the Committee will know, there is no established parliamentary procedure for the acceptance, or for the debate, of directions. In this case the Minister circulated the illustrative set we have been talking about, and he has helpfully told us about its status. Normally it is difficult to keep track of directions. Sometimes they are available in timely fashion, sometimes not, hence the need for publicity. The proposal in Section 36E(9) is unsatisfactory. In it, the Big Lottery Fund is bidden to set out directions in its annual report. Its two reports so far were published last December, 21 months after the start of the fund’s accounting period. That does not provide a timely opportunity for anyone, Parliament included, to study the content of directions, and the Bill in front of us does no better. Nor does the Government’s approach give any credence to the probability that from time to time the board of Big has expressed reservations or even dissent. If it did not, where was its independence? These matters are complex and, at the least, as we have heard before in Committee, raise agonising questions of additionality. It is this sort of dialogue that needs to be in reports, not a transcription of directions. The Secretary of State should publish within days of signing directions. I beg to move.