Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State is right that it was in January 2018 that the Cabinet approved several proposals to update the 2013 general scheme. It approved the proposal to establish an independent regulatory authority, which we support, for control and regulation of the gambling industry. We are told that this interdepartmental working group has met on five occasions since January 2018. What progress has been made on this? Where is the draft legislation? The Government and Fine Gael have been talking about this since 2011, which is seven years ago. It is hard to understand why it is taking so long for a Government Bill to be introduced in this House. The current situation is untenable and unfair. It is not simply unfair to people who are in the business of gambling who need to be properly regulated and many of them recognise that. It is especially unfair, however, on the very many victims and their families of gambling addiction throughout this country. We cannot say we empathise with those people until we regulate the gambling business.

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