Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate that the real competition is online, but I am open to what Senator Cummins has said. It is extraordinary to have a betting shop open at 7 a.m. I am thinking of the staff but also of the effect on the punter who is likely to be part of a family. If the punter has children he or she should be getting out for school in the morning, I would hate to think that he or she would be in a betting shop at 7 a.m. I am strongly thinking of the effects on society. That is a 15 hour day. Let us call a spade a spade, we have all enjoyed a dabble in bookies' shops, myself included. Some members of our families may have done it more than others. It is an addictive habit and once one is in there, it is hard to get out. The next race will always be better.

We must have controls here and the way to do it is to avoid considering online and physical premises on the street in the same way in terms of tax incentives. That is a tax debate. It has been said to me that the business that opens onto the street pays rent, rates and keeps our cities, towns and rural areas alive. They should be incentivised in a different way for that contribution to society, perhaps through lower VAT rates. Online business can work off a computer out of a back room. I am not just talking about betting shops versus online but rather all online businesses versus businesses that open onto the street. It is has been said to me by owners of sports shops. Anyone coming in to buy sports gear in Galway will come into the shop with the online price and ask the shop to beat it. It is difficult to beat it all the time. We need vibrant towns and a sense of business, which is why there should be some reward for businesses that pay rent and rates. The VAT system is one way to look at that. The Government did it really well with the tourism industry by moving it down to 9%. A similar VAT rate should apply for businesses that open onto the streets.

To go back to the section, the hours proposed are too long. They are too early and too late. I appreciate that we are dealing with a global community. If my horse is running in Melbourne, I might need the shop to be open at 7 a.m. to beat the time difference. However, it is going a bit too far. One can bet the night before for the horse the next morning. I acknowledge one might want the best starting price but we must look at the larger effect on society and families. I ask the Minister to give the matter some thought on Report Stage.