The five who made the decision

The Commission

The National Lottery Commission was set up last year to replace the lottery watchdog, Oflot. The commissioners are:

The National Lottery Commission was set up last year to replace the lottery watchdog, Oflot. The commissioners are:

* Dame Helena Shovelton, 55, chairwoman, holds the same post at the Audit Commission. She was chairwoman of the National Association of Citizens' Advice Bureaux from 1994-99 and is a trustee of the RAF Benevolent Fund.

* Brian Pomeroy, 56, holds a number of public and non-executive appointments, including the chairmanship of Centrepoint, a charity working for homeless young people.

* Hilary Blume, 55, founder and director of the Charities Advisory Trust. She is also vice-chairwoman of the Finnart House Trust, which works with underprivileged Jewish young people.

* Rosalind Gilmore CBE, 63, is a director of Zurich Financial Services Group and Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Trust. She was executive chairman of the Building Societies Commission and chief registrar of the Friendly Societies, the industry's regulatory body from 1991-1994.

* Harriet Spicer, 49, was managing director of Virago Press, the feminist publishing house, between 1992 and 1996. She was one of the founding partners of the business. This is her only public appointment.

They are overseen by a chief executive, Mark Harris, who joined from the Audit Commission in April 1999.