Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for coming in and updating us. I know he is genuine in his attention to the regulation of gambling. As previous Chair of this committee he provided some oversight of the past Bill. I am somewhat disappointed that three years into his tenure in the Department of Justice and Equality we have had no action, no legislation and no progress. Around Christmas I was surprised when the Minister of State announced his intention to establish a regulatory authority not this year but some time next year. Unfortunately this Dáil will fail gambling addicts when it comes to regulation because we will not succeed in advancing legislation that was first published in 2013.

While I recognise that technology has advanced to some extent, I note that people had apps on their phones and technology was a serious matter in 2013. It is not as though there was a new invention in the past five years. There should have been progress on that. Waiting six years before deciding to establish a regulatory authority is not good enough and it has failed the people who are really vulnerable in this space. We must put that on the record.

As a party, we sought to reintroduce the general scheme that had previously been published in order to facilitate and help the Department of Justice and Equality to progress this issue. We have had more reviews and reports, but the metric now is delivery. While I acknowledge the Minister of State's intentions, his Department has not been active enough in this legislative space. He is the responsible and accountable one in that respect.

What engagement has the Minister of State had with the Department of Health on addressing gambling addiction? What funding does the Government provide for people with gambling addiction?