Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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I move amendment No. 10:

In page 9, line 15, to delete "12 months" and substitute "24 months".

The Minister has very strangely limited the cooling-off period to 12 months should the regulator complete his or her term of office or leave that position in advance of taking up any office, consultancy or employment where in the course of such office, consultancy or employment the person could or might use or disclose any confidential information acquired by him or her in the exercise of his or her functions of regulator under this Act. He will remember that there was a clear commitment in the programme for Government stating that the Government would amend the rules to ensure that no senior public servant, including a political appointee or Minister, could work in the private sector in any area involving potential conflict of interest with his or her former area of public employment until at least two years had elapsed after he or she has left the public service. Two years is 24 months and not 12 months.

This office of regulator is to be funded by the industry, which, as the Minister correctly identified, is not an unusual or unique thing. He also identified concerns he has about the gambling industry in this State. He indicated that this office of regulator will attend not only to the issues pertaining to the national lottery but to the gambling industry more generally, which is a highly lucrative industry.

The Minister proposes, for reasons I cannot understand, a 12-month cooling off period for a regulator once he or she leaves office. I propose he keep the commitment made in the programme for Government, that he accept my amendment and that he stay true to the two-year period, quite aside from the clearly stated commitment in the programme for Government, to maintain public confidence in the gambling and gaming industry, which is extremely socially contentious for many people and which generates levels of fear and anxiety for reasons with which I am sure we are all familiar. It is new terrain in many senses in terms of regulation of this industry in this State.

Gambling is a highly lucrative industry and we are entering new terrain in terms of regulating it. However, it would be completely unacceptable for the Minister to move to a 12-month cooling-off period, and I believe he should accept my amendment. I see no reason the Minister cannot raise the bar to a two-year cooling-off period, as this is in line with the commitment in the programme for Government.