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The Tote

I agree. I have been accused from time to time of being a bit cavalier, but first I want to answer the point raised by the hon. Member for Tewkesbury (Mr. Robertson). The Tote has 540 shops, and 40 per cent. of its takings come from them. I do not know the exact figure, but those takings are a 10th of its total takings. The sale will not materially affect access to the Tote, because that will be available through other betting shops. We have an agreement that we will take the Tote to the marketplace within seven years. That is what we said. It is a transitional period that we negotiated with the then DTI. In terms of competition policy, the European Union has on many occasions allowed transitional periods for organisations, and indeed countries, to allow them to become fit for purpose. The mechanism is not unusual in the European Community, as every country that recently came into the Community was given transitional arrangements to allow them to become fit for purpose before fully entering the marketplace. We have argued for that principle and I accept it—it is accepted by the Commission anyway. The organisation will be part of the open competition process within seven years, once it is fit for purpose.