The Culture, Media and Sport Committee will hear further oral evidence next Tuesday as part of a special inquiry into whether the merger of gambling and lottery regulators would result in irreconcilable conflicts of interest.
The Select Committee last month extended its review of the Draft Public Bodies (Merger of the Gambling Commission and the National Lottery Commission) Order 2013 from 40 to 60 days after concluding following pre-legislative scrutiny that “elements of the responsibilities of these two bodies may be incompatible”.
“The National Lotteries Commission’s principal role is to ensure a maximum return to good causes whereas the Gambling Commission’s is one of consumer protection,” said MPs last month upon announcing the short inquiry.
MPs will now address further questions to eight witnesses on the morning of Tuesday 4 June, consisting of two representatives from each of the following organisations: the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, National Lottery provider Camelot, the Gambling Commission and the National Lottery Commission.
The Draft Public Bodies (Merger of the Gambling Commission and the National Lottery Commission) Order 2013 would abolish the National Lottery Commission (NLC) and transfer its powers to the Gambling Commission (GC).
The proposed merger, part of a broader government drive to cut the costs of public bodies while also increasing their accountability, had been expected to complete in August, subject to Parliamentary approval.
Minister For Sport and Tourism Hugh Robertson appointed two National Lottery Commissioners to the Gambling Commission in March ahead of it becoming the sole regulator of gambling in Great Britain.
MPs said when announcing the extended review that of 11 responses to the three-month public consultation into the proposals which opened last August, three had opposed the merger.
Article written by Stephen Carter
