Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

This report refers to an important policy area. The Oireachtas has not addressed it since 1956. There has been little legislative change in this area. The Oireachtas has passed it off. There were a number of reports during the time when Deputy Rabbitte was in government, including an unpublished task force report on the casino issue while Deputy Ruairí Quinn was Minister for Finance. The Government decided not to proceed.

This is a substantial report and I will publish it within the next week or so. The all-party committee would be a way of coming to some consensus on the way in which we can manage gaming and betting while giving people an opportunity to examine the negative aspects of the proliferation of Internet gambling, for example. While the Government can take a view on it, it is better that it is handled on an all-party basis.

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