Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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I agree with an awful lot of what the Minister of State said. I agree entirely about the significant damage that can be done and all of the committee members have the same objectives for this and future legislation. I will not press the amendment but I ask him to consider it over the summer. He must understand the argument that is being made. He said that this legislation is not governed by the Gaming and Lotteries Act 1956 and, therefore, it does not affect him. If he is correct about that, all the arguments relating to unintended consequences apply all the same. By the same token, somebody could go away and set up that same private members club the Minister of State is talking about tomorrow morning and all the same unintended consequences that might exist if they were to be specifically excluded from the legislation could equally apply. What if the Minister of State is not right and private members' clubs are covered by this?

The argument that they are covered is that, until this legislation, it was not an offence to the same extent to be involved in gaming without a gaming permit or licence. It will now be an offence and whether or not one has a constitutional right to freedom of association, that does not entitle one to break the law in that environment. That is the concern. If the Minister of State is not correct, and private members' clubs are included, then they close down and there are job losses and all the rest of it involved in that. I would like it if he could take whatever preparations are happening in the Department with the Gambling Control Bill, grab that part of the legislation and put it in here. It is otherwise unfair to the people whose jobs are involved in these businesses because there is uncertainty which needs to be addressed. I will not press the amendment and will withdraw it.