National Lottery

I think it fair to say that the Olympics remain the world's greatest sporting event, and an important showcase for both the host city and the country as a whole. However, it is also sadly the case that successive Olympic games—notably those in Sydney, Athens and now London—have radically overshot their initial budgets, and in view of that it is probably not surprising that this has been a heated and at times controversial debate. Let us start with the positives. Two main themes have run through the speeches of Members on both sides of the House. The first, which I think extremely positive, is the support for the Olympics that exists across the main political parties. That support, first evident at the bid stage, continued throughout the passage of the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Bill, and remains intact. There are of course differences of opinion over the control of the budget and policy issues such as the legacy for sport, but support for the concept of 2012 is still intact, and I hope that the Minister for the Olympics will feel able to offer the International Olympic Committee assurances to that effect. The second main theme replicated across the House is widespread recognition of the benefits brought to the country in general, and to good causes in particular, through the national lottery in the decade or so since it was introduced by John Major's Government. In our view it is vital that the lottery does not become a reservoir into which Government can dip when money is needed, or become the poor man's tax that some commentators have dubbed it, as that would inevitably affect its popularity and thus the amount of money that it is able to distribute to good causes. As only a short time is available, it makes sense to be entirely clear about what we seek from the Government, and why we are seeking it. As always with London 2012, our concern centres on two main issues, the budget and the legacy, particularly the mass participation sports legacy. Tonight is not the occasion on which to examine why the Olympic budget went so badly wrong. However, as the Minister for the Olympics will confirm, we co-operated closely with the Government over the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Bill, and helped them to get it through in record time. That earned us a commendation from the IOC. I hope the Minister will understand that, given the former Minister for Sport's countless assurances in Committee and on Report that the original budget was robust and deliverable, we were dismayed to discover that that was so dramatically not the case. For that reason, as well as any Opposition's democratic remit to hold the Government to account, it would be wrong for us not to seek reassurances over the new budget. The Minister's recent approach, particularly since November, has helped immeasurably, and I wish publicly to record my thanks to her for that. However, in order to build on that, we want three simple reporting mechanisms: first, a six-monthly report to Parliament; secondly, quarterly ministerial and shadow ministerial briefings; and, thirdly, monthly cash flow forecasts. I cannot see why any of those demands should cause the Government any problems. I am perfectly happy to receive those reports on Privy Council or confidential terms, if the release of any details might affect commercial sensitivities. There is also the matter of the legacy, which is why the national lottery is so important. Without the lottery, the amount that can be done in legacy terms will be dramatically less than it would be otherwise. For that reason, I entirely welcome the Secretary of State's announcement—or concession—this afternoon that the lottery will not be hit again to pay for future cost overruns; I thank him for that. Given that concession, for my party this debate comes down to one simple point: will the Government commit to the reporting mechanisms that I have just laid out—a six-monthly report to Parliament, quarterly meetings at ministerial and shadow ministerial level, and a monthly cash flow forecast? If they can give us that assurance, despite our concerns over the budget and the national lottery, in recognition of the Secretary of State's earlier concession and in the interests of maintaining the cross-party consensus that we have all worked so hard to achieve, we will not vote against the Government tonight.