Consultation Craze Delays Labour's Supercasino - Foster

3.30.22pm UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 23rd Oct 2006

The Government's obsession with unnecessary consultation exercises over supercasinos has led to delays and hindered proper scrutiny the Liberal Democrats claimed today.

Analysis by the party has revealed that 23 gambling consultations have been launched since May 2005, two of which closed after receiving no responses. Another five open consultations are still awaiting their first response.

The revelation comes after it was claimed that delays in the selection of a site for Britain's first supercasino were caused by the need to 'allow time for the printing process'.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Culture, Media and Sport Secretary and Bath's MP, Don Foster said:

"While meaningful consultation is welcome, the Government have gone over the top with endless, often unread, exercises in window-dressing.

"It is this Government's consultation craze that is the real cause behind the supercasino delay and confusion.

"The bureaucratic burden is not only saddling the new Gambling Commission, it is also obscuring proper scrutiny from overworked interested parties.

"It increasingly looks like the new gambling laws will follow the licensing laws in the annals of flawed, delayed and onerous legislation."