Issued by the Office of the Minister of Trade and Industry
15 August 2000
It is understandable that the plight of charities will elicit strong views. However, it is unfortunate that by publicising inaccurate information uncertainty and anxiety has been caused amongst these important institutions.
The process of finalising the distribution agencies is now virtually complete and Cabinet will consider this in its next cycle.
An effective disbursement mechanism has been set up that will be able to meet urgent needs once Cabinet endorses the basic approach.
The accumulation of funds in the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund was until recently below projections. The funds now available are adequate to commence a phased-in programme of disbursement starting with clearly identified priority areas.
It is imperative that the lottery funds are handled in a manner that sets the highest standards of accountability. We will not compromise on this.
It is regrettable that a junior official was quoted and his reference to March 2001 refers to an optimistic projection of the fully fledged, comprehensive and effective distribution system.
We will make further announcements in the next three weeks.