Dáil debates
Wednesday, 1 May 2024
Gambling Regulation Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage
5:00 pm
Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source
People are saying it did not come from the justice committee and that this measure was never intended to be a part of the Bill.
In my county of Tipperary, there is a hospice movement. I was recently at a fundraising venture that raised something like €200,000. That would not have happened if this restriction was in place. It would be outside the law and could not happen. The work the hospice movement does in Tipperary is incredible in the amount of solace, comfort, support and love it gives to people at times of difficulty. After that event, I spoke with an official in the Tipperary hospice and he told me that it gets no money from any institution of the State. It is completely voluntary. It has to raise €450,000 every year to keep the service in place. We are talking about impeding that by putting a measure such as this into the Bill. It is counterproductive and makes no sense whatsoever. We need to eliminate this from the Bill and ensure that we bring back a sensible amendment to address the issues that have been raised.
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