David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There are two elements to the amendment. Subsection (1) states: "The Minister for Justice and Equality shall, not later than 3 months after the commencement of this Act, seek a report regarding the prevalence of gambling on an all-island basis." Subsection (2) states: "The Minister for Justice and Equality shall, not later than 2 years after the commencement of this Act, cause a report to be prepared on the operation of the Act and shall cause copies of the report to be laid before each House of the Oireachtas." The issue raised in subsection (1) of the amendment was also raised in the Seanad, as I am sure members are aware. It regards the prevalence of gambling in general rather than solely problem gambling. I share with the Deputy and other members of the committee deep concerns regarding how we can best address the issues of harmful gambling which affect the lives of persons so addicted, their families and wider society. We are at one in that regard.

I always place our approach on this matter in a healthcare context and as being for the attention of relevant qualified professionals. We must be careful not to come to the view or let others think that if we set up our gambling regulator, that will assist problem gambling to a significant extent. If a person has an addiction, it is a health issue and we must focus on it from that point of view. A regulator will only go so far. If a person has an addiction, no amount of regulation will help; rather, he or she needs treatment. I agree that we must seek to better understand the issues involved and obtain credible evidence on the nature and extent of the problems arising. As stated by colleagues, gambling is complex and increasingly taking place in an online environment. It is a matter for the Department of Health. Obviously, it is not within my remit to carry out a report on the prevalence of gambling in Northern Ireland. That should go without saying.

The drug prevalence survey for 2014-15 published on 27 February 2019 by my colleague, the Minister for State with responsibility for health promotion and the national drug strategy, Deputy Catherine Byrne, contained the first set of data on the extent of gambling in Ireland and Northern Ireland. The data are based on fieldwork carried out between August 2014 and August 2015. This general population survey of more than 7,000 persons was a collaborative project between the National Advisory Committee on Drugs and Alcohol and colleagues in the public information and health research branch of the Department of Health in Northern Ireland.

Ipsos MRBI carried out the field work and my Department contributed to the cost of the survey. While I accept that the survey is perhaps a little dated now, it provides a baseline of data to assist in policy formulation and future planning and action on gambling. The survey found that the prevalence of problem gambling in the general population was 0.8%. Problem gambling is most common in young males, at 1.9% among males aged 18 to 24 and 2.9% among males aged 25 to 34. The Health Research Board is now undertaking a prevalence study for 2018 and 2019. This will further assist in policy formulation, planning and action in this area. Results are expected in 2020. This survey will contain a specific section on gambling prevalence with an extended range of questions. My Department is contributing to the costs of that survey.

While I welcome the concerns that motivate the proposed amendment, I believe that the Government is addressing those concerns through the large-scale professional work by the Health Research Board which is now under way. We should await those results. I do not think there is any point in duplicating it. The first part of the Deputy's proposal risks imposing a significant cost on the Exchequer. As we are doing it already, I do not see any reason why we should do it twice. The second part of the proposal seeks to impose a requirement to carry out a two-year review of the operation of the Act. This period is one normally found in legislation. My Department will review the provisions of the amended Gaming and Lotteries Act as we work to bring forward proposals for the comprehensive reform of licensing and regulation of gambling in Ireland. I do not see any particular need to impose this review provision. I hope that comprehensive legislative proposals for reform will be published in this period. We are doing substantial work in tandem with this. I ask the Deputy to consider withdrawing the amendment because this is only an interim measure. I want to have the limited resources that we have focused on getting the regulator established and the larger Bill drafted and enacted. If we were to take resources away to do a review of this Act while doing the other at the same time, it may be counterproductive. I can see the intention of the Deputy's amendment but I think it will happen anyway as we work on the larger Bill.