Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

I am committed to publishing the report of the casino committee, entitled Regulating Gaming in Ireland, and am disappointed I was not in a position to do so within the timeframe previously envisaged. The report is ready for publication and it is my intention to publish it as soon as the arrangements I envisage for advancing the issues highlighted in it are settled.

The lengthy report deals with a range of complex and interrelated public policy matters. The Government has not adopted a view on the report. Because it made recommendations that have significant public policy implications, it was clear that it would require further detailed analysis before Government could be asked to make a formal decision on introducing a new regulatory regime for the gaming area. I considered that the best way to deal with the issue, therefore, was to publish the report and refer it to an informal all-party committee. In this regard I was grateful Deputy Seán Barrett, with the agreement of his party leader, consented to act as chairperson of that committee. The Deputy will be aware I also raised the formation of such a committee with his party leader and, briefly, with him. Subject to agreement, I envisage such a committee can be established without delay and the report published within the framework of that committee.

Progress in this area can best be achieved through cross-party consensus. There can be no question of delaying the making of key decisions that will have profound implications for the type of society we want to create for our citizens in the years ahead. We need to get things right with any new gaming code that emerges from this process. I want to ensure such activities are carried out within a responsible framework that recognises the reality of those activities and the changed environment within which these activities now take place, including on the Internet, and which ensures they are properly and responsibly managed, particularly as far as those who may experience problems as a result of their participation in gaming activities are concerned. The all-party approach presents an opportunity to Oireachtas Members to contribute, at the important policy formulation stage, to the future architecture of gaming in Ireland. It offers the best guarantee that the interests of all elements in our society are taken into account from the beginning in an area of important public policy. I note that Deputy Rabbitte let out the hare of the fixed odds betting terminals in a statement a few weeks ago. I am hesitant to publish the report in advance of the formation of a committee, but I can confirm that the report specifically recommends that we do not introduce fixed odds betting terminals.

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