Nanette Milne, Scottish Conservative MSP for the North East and Shadow Minister for Sport has challenged the SNP Scottish Government on the future of the UK National Lottery in the event of Scotland becoming Independent.
The UK National Lottery has to date raised over £29 billion for the good causes and over 400,000 grants have been made to projects by December 2012. The UK National Lottery has also played a vital role in helping to fund Team GB’s Olympic and Paralympic sportsmen and women with the UK National Lottery investing the majority of the Olympic and Paralympic Sports budget £183.5million out of the total of £313.5million.
Nanette Milne, Scottish Conservative MSP for the North East said:
“Over the past year we have seen that just because the First Minster and the SNP Scottish Government say one thing that does not make it a reality.
“The SNP are being bankrolled by lottery winners yet if Scotland was to become independent future Scots would not get the chance to play the National Lottery in the future.
“Increasingly questions are being asked over what separation would mean for the day to day life of Scots and the many things we Scots take for granted – including playing the UK National Lottery. The SNP have no answers to these questions and increasingly are trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the people of Scotland.
“Scotland has benefited from literally hundreds of millions of pounds being given to good causes from the UK National Lottery – something which could be put at risk in the event of Scotland becoming Independent.
“The UK National Lottery has also been vital to funding the training success of Scottish Olympic and Paralympic sportsmen and women. Scottish athletes won 13 of Team GB’s 65 medals at the London Olympics, seven of them gold.
“The UK National Lottery has also helped to fund sports across Scotland and Scotland’s athletes, from helping Sir Chris Hoy on his journey to six Olympic gold medals to enabling child to learn to swim.
“It is clear that there will be hundreds of complex issues which would result from Scotland leaving the United Kingdom. In each case such for example whether or not Scotland would have to reapply for membership of the European Union or if the UK National Lottery would cease to operate in an independent Scotland it is for the SNP Scottish Government and the Yes campaign to provide the answers the people of Scotland need before voting to separate Scotland from the rest of the United Kingdom.”
The North East MSP added:
“For many small retailers sales from UK National Lottery in small retailers across Scotland are vital to the cash flow for many small retailers. The loss of the UK National Lottery sales could impact dramatically on the future liability of many small retailers.”