Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I do not want to waste time. I have been a Deputy for the past 18 years and have seen an awful lot of time being wasted. For example, there were two hours of debate last night during which more constructive work could have been done.

I thank all Deputies who spoke on the Bill. This is a democratic system and everyone is entitled to speak. That is the whole idea of electing legislators. Overall this was a very well informed and constructive debate. The Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Humphreys, would like to express her appreciation for the work of the Deputies, particularly the work done by Deputies Rock and Donnelly in bringing forward the Bill, and, of course, Deputy Quinlivan, for the commitment they have shown to tackling the practice of ticket touting. Deputy Clare Daly might note that this is an example of three different parties working together on something constructive.

The Minister, Deputy Humphreys, welcomes the broad expression of support for the Bill by Deputies. She agrees with the strong sentiment expressed by Deputies that ticket profiteering must be tackled in the interests of sport and music fans throughout Ireland. It is wrong for people who have no commitment or no contribution to make to sport of music to profit from the efforts and talent of sportsmen and women and from artists and entertainers. The Minister will consider carefully all of the points raised by the Deputies, including those made by Deputies Clare Daly and Wallace. A number of these points, such as those concerning the powers to be granted to An Garda Síochána, the proposed exemption for voluntary and community organisations and the liability of websites that host ticket listings, are under consideration by the Department and the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel and may be the subject of amendments to be moved on Committee Stage or on Report Stage.

The Minister looks forward to working with the House on Committee Stage and on Report Stage. There is a lot of work to be done on this Bill, including the many amendments that the Minister or the Deputies can propose in the Bill.

I will not delay or waste any more time talking. I have dealt with the points raised in the Bill.

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