BRENDAN HOWLIN has confirmed plans to reform the issuing process for the national lottery licence, in an attempt to boost the up-front payment to the State.

The current licence, which is issued for 10 years, will be replaced with a 20-year licence to take effect in early 2013, in a move Howlin says will involve a larger up-front payment to the government.

In a statement this morning, the public expenditure minister said the longer-term licence offered an opportunity “to generate funds that will benefit the community and provide essential services through providing significant funds towards the construction of the National Children’s Hospital.”

The revised deal will maintain the current provisions where 30.5 per cent of lottery income is provided to good causes.

“Where the State identifies options to generate additional revenues that don’t impact on taxpayers, we need to pursue them,” Howlin said.

The tendering process for the new licence will begin later next year, as the current licence held by the An Post National Lottery Company following a formal tendering process begins to expire.

The An Post licence was due to expire this year, but the government agreed to extend the licence until mid-June of 2013 in order to facilitate a full tendering process.

The new arrangements will require amendments to the current lottery laws, with the draft edition of a new Bill to facilitate the tendering process to be published in the summer, and be enacted by September or October.