Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Dr. Fulton for her presentation. This is an area which is getting an increasing amount of focus and which has a substantial impact on many people's lives. It is a difficult addiction to tackle. It is invidious and very often hidden from view, even hidden from loved ones, until, as Dr. Fulton has identified, one reaches a crisis point - the involvement of a bailiff, an unpaid bill or so on. The advent of the huge range of opportunities to gamble online has made it much easier to become addicted.

I have a few specific questions, which are similar to the questions I asked the Minister. Does Dr. Fulton have a view on the separation of gambling and alcohol? I am instinctively inclined to believe the two should be kept separate and that they should be separately licensed and regulated. Obviously the presence of one makes the other potentially more dangerous or harmful. On the other hand, there are those who would argue that there is no harm in one having a drink during a game of cards in a private members' club. My instinctive view is more towards the former but I am curious as to whether Dr. Fulton has a view on the matter.