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The Tote

I shall keep my remarks brief in order to allow the Minister to respond, hopefully in some detail. It has been clear from today's very welcome debate that some hon. Members here are much more familiar with the history of the Tote than I am. The right hon. Member for Sheffield, Central (Mr. Caborn) has played a central role in the painful, extended labour that is the debate about where the Tote will ultimately end up. I have never bought a copy of the Racing Post, although I confess to being an occasional purchaser of The Guardian; obviously, I need to change my purchasing habits, or I will not have access to insider tips about which horse to bet on at which racecourse. The Tote is a large employer, as a number of Members have made clear. The hon. Member for Wigan (Mr. Turner) made a naked pitch for jobs—as good constituency Members, we all understand that he should—and the hon. Member for Barnsley, East and Mexborough (Jeff Ennis) made a strong point, which had not been debated until he raised it, about offshore betting and how it affects the industry as a whole. The Tote is a large employer, with 4,000 employees. Members have referred to its 450 shops, or 540—I am not quite sure what the number is—and its large presence throughout the country. It has significant employment implications. The Tote, along with the levy, makes a substantial contribution to the industry, so we need to resolve the issue. The policy has had a long gestation period; Members will have seen the time line helpfully provided by the British Horseracing Authority, which did not go back in any detail to 1928, when the original Act of Parliament was passed, but concentrated on more recent years, including the announcement in March 2000 of the intention to sell the Tote to a racing trust and two separate manifesto commitments that it would be appropriate for the Government to uphold. My final comments relate to the points made by the right hon. Member for Sheffield, Central, who introduced the debate. He described clearly where we need to go from here: delivering on the manifesto commitment, which is a responsibility for the Minister to pick up; delivering for the Treasury, which is clearly seeking something out of the sale; delivering for racing, most importantly, and ensuring that the industry continues to receive the support that it needs; ensuring as far as possible that jobs are secure; and allowing the Tote to grow and take advantage of the many technological developments emerging with the internet and so on, to allow it to extend to other markets and ensure its long-term survivability. The right hon. Member made an interesting proposal about decoupling the Tote shops from the Tote. Other Members have rightly questioned the timing of that, in relation to where the market is nationally and internationally, and questioned whether now is the best time to secure the best possible value. I shall listen carefully to the Minister's response to see how he intends to address that issue. I think that the right hon. Member for Sheffield, Central said that the racehorses have been going around the course for the past seven years. I hope that the Minister can reassure us that they will not be going around it for another seven years.