Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I am speaking to amendment No. 83, which relates to advertising directly related to charity fundraising activities for not-for-profit organisations. I would like to pick up on Deputy Doherty's point. Palliative care should be paid for out of direct taxation. It should not be down to communities to have to do fundraising for such an essential service. Unfortunately, so many of our charities are doing the work that should be public services. Those public services should be paid for through direct taxation. That is the real dilemma that many of us have here. It is incredibly difficult to fundraise, as we know. Sometimes big organisation will run one event in the year and it is quite difficult to come up with ideas. I do not think they want to be involved in gambling. This is a real dilemma for us. I certainly do not want to damage people further.

I am very supportive of this legislation. I am aware of just how pernicious gambling is and how much it has even changed over the last 25 years. When you look at the horse and greyhound racing fund, that is what it was. When you start looking at those websites, it is football, politics, two flies going up a wall. That is what it is. Everything you can think of is offered as a choice for people. There is no doubt that this is an addiction that goes way beyond the kind of damage a person can do to themselves by drinking too much, for example. There is no limit or very often there is very little limit in terms of gambling.

We live in an imperfect world where those of us who are supportive of this legislation have some concerns about how those charities are going to manage. The other issue is that the Government itself will often look for matching funds for sports capital grants. How do you come up with €100,000? That is a real dilemma in terms of providing sporting organisations which are the very thing that divert children away from all kinds of harm. I do not believe that can be captured in the Bill. However, it touches on the Bill in terms of how to come up with the money to provide these without creating harm at the same time.

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