Results 1-6 of 6 for lottery speaker:Ossian Smyth

Seanad: National Lottery (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (12 Jul 2022)

Ossian Smyth: I thank Senators Ward, Currie and Carrigy in particular for affording me the opportunity to again consider the national lottery, its contribution to good causes and how it might evolve and develop in the future. Since its inception in 1987, though good times and bad, the national lottery has continually provided a steady stream of funding for good causes in the areas of the arts and culture,...

Seanad: National Lottery (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (12 Jul 2022)

Ossian Smyth: It is loss of income the Senator expects would return to the lottery, were the bookies banned from taking bets on that. I accept that is the problem the legislation is trying to solve. Senator Boyhan mentioned that a lot of work has been done and there is a lot more work to do.Much work has been done, not just by the Senators but also within my Department. Commissioning that independent...

Seanad: National Lottery (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (24 Feb 2022)

Ossian Smyth: I thank Senators Ward and Carrigy, who are here, and Senator Currie for raising this matter and for their concern about the national lottery. I have a few words to say on behalf of the Government about this Bill. The funding the national lottery raises is very important to community groups, clubs and organisations throughout Ireland. I very much appreciate the work of the Senators in...

Seanad: National Lottery (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (24 Feb 2022)

Ossian Smyth: It is useful to have a debate like this and to exchange views. There is a difference of opinion here. The lottery is not shrinking. Revenues are growing. We had very strong growth from 2020 to 2021 of 14%. In 2020, €254 million of money was allocated for good causes, while €289 million was allocated in 2021. The question that arises is: what is the problem we are trying to...

Seanad: National Lottery (Amendment) Bill 2021: Second Stage (29 Sep 2021)

Ossian Smyth: ...private income of bookmakers. He also made the point that there is a loss of footfall in local shops, which is a genuine concern at this time. Senator Carrigy pointed out that he is a national lottery agent himself.As such, he knows the detail of the compliance, such as mystery shoppers going into shops to check that all the rules are being complied with. Those rules simply do not apply...

Post Office Network: Motion [Private Members] (21 Oct 2020)

Ossian Smyth: ...the SME market, with such services being available across the counter in post offices to facilitate the growth in parcel business. This has also facilitated growth in existing retail lines, such as gift cards, lottery tickets, bill payment and money transfer, through the expansion of these retail lines and focused promotion in all offices. I also refer to the introduction of new,...