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

On the issue of gambling addiction, research and treatment, the Department of Justice and Equality does not have the health expertise to deal with treatment. As Deputy Jack Chambers alluded to, we have stepped up by providing funding for research to find out what the issue is. As colleagues know, this Department has as much legislation as the next five Departments put together. We do not, nor should we have the expertise to deal with treatment. The main legislation which we are working on will provide for a social fund. There will be levies on the industry, which will be made available for treatment, research, education, raising awareness and so on. When it comes to treating people who have an illness, I respectfully suggest that this is not the remit of the Department of Justice and Equality but of the Department of Health. I cannot agree with the Deputy that the Department of Health is not interested. I know that my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Catherine Byrne, is very interested in addiction services and is doing much work in that area, bringing forward some very innovative and radical proposals on addiction.

With respect to the first amendment proposed, we are carrying out research on drug prevalence under the Health Research Board. I agree with Deputy Connolly that legislation should be reviewed to see how effective it is. This is a small Bill. It updates an existing 1956 Act. It does not do anything major. We are undertaking major reform in this area and that is the legislation which should be reviewed after it is published. This is a small, interim Bill and it does not do much at the end of the day, though what it does is important. There will not be much to review. We will have to come back to what changing the stakes and prizes will mean. We are saying that people under 18 cannot place bets. There are other conditions too, as the Deputy has seen here.

There is not a great deal to review there. I want to focus on the main legislation. To answer the Deputy's question, I agree that legislation should be reviewed but primarily major Acts that have a significant impact. This legislation is interim and while it is important, it will not make a major difference.