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National Lottery Bill

My Lords, I thank the Minister and congratulate him on being able to persuade his colleagues in his department and in another place of the force of our arguments. We are very pleased because he has accepted the main issue. The Government have now agreed that, in the provision on directions, ““comply with”” is too strong. They will revert to ““take account of””, which, after all, puts the Big Lottery Fund only in exactly the same position as the other distributing bodies. It makes the process much more sensible. I understand the noble Lord’s concerns about Amendment No. 1, relating to Clause 7. Indeed, he makes a valid argument about its effect on lottery distribution in the regions. We thank the Minister for listening with such care and taking account of our concerns, and look forward to seeing the amendment when it is tabled in another place. On Question, amendment agreed to. Clause 8 [Reallocation of funds]: