Dáil debates

Thursday, 2 October 2008

3:00 pm

Photo of Dermot AhernDermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

Honestly, I do not know to what the Deputy is referring. I agreed with the approach taken by my predecessor and I published the report shortly after I came into office. In recent days, I wrote to the Chief Whip, Deputy Kenny, the leader of the Labour Party and others to invite them to participate in this committee which I hope in a relatively short space of time will come forward with an agreed view on the issues. Perhaps they will not be able to agree on some of the issues. This is not holding up the legislation.

I accept this is an area where the most recent legislation is from 1956. It behoves the Oireachtas as a group to try to regulate this area where significant changes have occurred for which we have not legislated. To a certain extent, we have tended to veer away from them because they are difficult issues in the context of dealing with gaming, gambling, betting, horse racing and all of the other ways in which betting takes place. We should move on it.

The Garda Síochána is working under old legislation with regard to casino-type operations. To the best of my recollection, it is fair to state that all of the new casino-type places have been visited by gardaí but, as of yet, they have not come across anything which warrants prosecution under the existing legislation. The Deputies will accept that the existing legislation is many years old and we need to introduce new legislation to regulate this area.

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