Results 16,321-16,340 of 21,588 for speaker:Denis Naughten

Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Bill 2019 [Seanad]: Order for Report Stage (4 Dec 2019)

Denis Naughten: For the information of the House, may I suggest that we recommit section 12 of this Bill to Committee Stage and we have a discussion on it?

Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Bill 2019 [Seanad]: Order for Report Stage (4 Dec 2019)

Denis Naughten: I ask the Minister of State to recommit section 12 to Committee Stage so that we can deal with the substantive issue. A resolution can be found to this problem. I spoke to the Minister of State last night and gave him the example of the case across the Border in Northern Ireland. A tiered system is in place there where commercial bingo operations come under a different regulatory regime...

Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Bill 2019 [Seanad]: Report and Final Stages (4 Dec 2019)

Denis Naughten: The Leas-Cheann Comhairle encouraged him too early.

Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Bill 2019 [Seanad]: Report and Final Stages (4 Dec 2019)

Denis Naughten: I will pick up where my colleagues finished. There is a lack of clarity around this issue. Earlier in the week I was contacted on this issue by Councillor Valerie Byrne, who is involved in organising bingo in Elphin in County Roscommon. Hers is very typical of the situation throughout the country. I spoke directly to the Minister of State on a few occasions in the past 48 hours about my...

Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Bill 2019 [Seanad]: Report and Final Stages (4 Dec 2019)

Denis Naughten: I doubt very much that any PR consultant based here in the city of Dublin is very worried about the bingo games that go on in Elphin, Castlerea, Ballinasloe, Roscommon or anywhere else for that matter.

Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Bill 2019 [Seanad]: Report and Final Stages (4 Dec 2019)

Denis Naughten: That raises the concern there may be another agenda at play here.

Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Bill 2019 [Seanad]: Report and Final Stages (4 Dec 2019)

Denis Naughten: I am not pursuing that. I am focused solely on the community groups throughout this country that run bingo games as a social outlet. I want to see that continue. Deputy O'Callaghan is correct. Some bingo games are operated on a more professionally organised basis here in Dublin. I was talking to Deputy Martin Kenny during the vote earlier. He suggested amending section 12 to bring the...

Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Bill 2019 [Seanad]: Report and Final Stages (4 Dec 2019)

Denis Naughten: County boards throughout the country are finding it far more difficult to raise funding to match what the Dubs are raising. We need a bit of support in that regard. I do not want those country boards to find themselves in difficulty. The Minister needs to provide some clarity there. Finally, will the Minister of State clarify that the position will remain the same for those club lotteries...

Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Bill 2019 [Seanad]: Report and Final Stages (4 Dec 2019)

Denis Naughten: No, it is this section.

Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Bill 2019 [Seanad]: Report and Final Stages (4 Dec 2019)

Denis Naughten: I want clarity on some of the things on which the Minister of State came back to us. Deputy Rabbitte laid it out very clearly and she has obviously done much research in preparation for this discussion. The Minister of State is correct that this is coming, as he termed it, "at a minute to midnight". That is why legislation has ten Stages before it is enacted. That is the reason for it, so...

Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Bill 2019 [Seanad]: Report and Final Stages (4 Dec 2019)

Denis Naughten: -----and that licence continues until the jackpot is reached and paid out and then the permit will apply again. Can those groups run their daily or weekly bingo on their permit and then, if the jackpot exceeds the €5,000 combined with the amount given out in prize money, get a licence to cover that? Will they be forced to continue to operate that licence when the prize money goes...

Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Bill 2019 [Seanad]: Report and Final Stages (4 Dec 2019)

Denis Naughten: I do not want to open the debate again. Currently these organisations can take up to 40% of the total in running costs. The Bill will give them 25%.

Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Bill 2019 [Seanad]: Report and Final Stages (4 Dec 2019)

Denis Naughten: No. The Bill is giving them 25%. It is the difference.

Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Bill 2019 [Seanad]: Report and Final Stages (4 Dec 2019)

Denis Naughten: Up to now a group might have been running bingo on 5% of the total but it must now take-----

Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Bill 2019 [Seanad]: Report and Final Stages (4 Dec 2019)

Denis Naughten: Yes. The permit specifically mentions 5%. The groups are running these operations with 5% as the cost of the organisation. They are now being forced to take 25% for that.

Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Bill 2019 [Seanad]: Report and Final Stages (4 Dec 2019)

Denis Naughten: There is 25% going to the charity, which might be the same group. The organisation can only give back a maximum of 50%. That is the issue and it is why Deputy Martin Kenny's amendment is so important. With all due respect, the Minister of State has said he could not consider the amendment on the 75% provision because we have not examined it carefully. We would not be here this evening if...

Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Bill 2019 [Seanad]: Report and Final Stages (4 Dec 2019)

Denis Naughten: Will the Minister of State clarify that the rollover is not part of the cap? It would be generated from previous weeks of competition.

Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Bill 2019 [Seanad]: Report and Final Stages (4 Dec 2019)

Denis Naughten: The Minister has agreed to this and we request the recommital of section 12 to discuss the issue that has been debated. We have it pretty much debated. We just want to formally move the amendment we discussed earlier. We seek to recommit the Bill in respect of section 12.

Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Bill 2019 [Seanad]: Report and Final Stages (4 Dec 2019)

Denis Naughten: It is a procedural issue.

Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Bill 2019 [Seanad]: Report and Final Stages (4 Dec 2019)

Denis Naughten: We are anxious to move our amendment and we can only do that on Committee Stage. I hope it will be a brief Committee Stage.