Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree in principle with the Minister of State's Bill because we know we have a problem with gambling in the country. However, as all the previous Deputies have said, the proposal in the Bill is wrong. It is not going to work. I ask the Minister of State not to ask us to vote for the legislation tonight if there is something wrong with it. It is fine for the officials but these voluntary organisations and everybody else are out there raising funds.

Last Saturday night, I was at a function for the Westport GAA club. It had to raise over €100,000, and did so through an Oscar-type night. That is happening all over the country every day.

I was previously Minister with responsibility for sport. It is fine that we do not have the resources or the money. When I was the Minister, certain people from the health board came in to say clubs could not have drink sponsorship. There was €33 million of a gap and clubs had to find alternative sources because they knew we, as a Government, did not have the money to deal with it. Here we are again now bringing in legislation that is going to affect charitable and sporting organisations. I ask the Minister of State to give us an assurance that he will bring in an amendment to deal with this issue. I do not want to have to vote in favour of this Bill in half an hour or an hour's time when I know it is wrong. We already know it is wrong. All the speakers here know it is wrong. I will vote with the Government but I do not want to be put in that situation. I ask the Minister of State for a guarantee that this amendment will be put in place to ensure an exemption for sporting and charitable organisations.

If we want to be honest, what has gone wrong in this country is that governments have gone crazy. Woke is in politics and politicians. It is in Europe and in the public service. The Government is going to make a police state of this country. People must be able to live and to make decisions for themselves. We cannot have the Government telling people what is right and what is wrong. We need people to be able to use their own brains and minds. We need them to know they can make decisions.

I heard what was said by previous speakers. Soccer, rugby and Gaelic clubs are out there on a Saturday night with their volunteers.

They do not get recognised for the work they do and now we are going to take away the funding for the voluntary organisations. If we do that, we are creating a big problem.

I want to vote with the Minister of State, but I want a guarantee from him tonight that we are going to get an amendment that will actually deal with the problem we have all identified. In fact, he will not believe it; all these people tonight are raising this, but I raised it the parliamentary party meeting last week. I said I could see there was going to be a problem with the Bill that is being discussed now and that was being discussed at the time with the parliamentary party, and that we must make sure we are going to deal with it and not hurt voluntary organisations.

People are out there trying to raise money for their clubs and trying to keep young boys and girls out of trouble and in sport. The Minister of State knows there is a problem there now. I know he is a reasonable man and a sporting man. I know he comes from a sporting county. I want him to give us a guarantee that he will bring in the necessary amendment that will exempt both charitable and sporting organisations so that they will not be affected in any way by this Bill that is coming through the Dáil.

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