Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank all Senators for the debate and discussion on this point.I am certainly not unsympathetic towards what the Senator is trying to do here. There is very little of what Senators Craughwell, O'Brien and Cummins said with which I disagree. I, too, have seen at first hand the damaging effects of gambling on many people, including people close to me. It can be devastating, and Senator Craughwell is correct in that regard. The only point on which I disagree is on the Office of the Revenue Commissioners, which I believe is doing its job. Many of the issues fall outside its scope. They might be issues for the Garda or local authority, and that is where the gambling control Bill comes into play.

The priority regarding the Betting (Amendment) Bill has always been to put in place the regulatory system for the remote sector with a view to levelling the playing field for all bookmakers, remote and traditional, in terms of betting duties. Everybody in this House is largely in agreement with that. The other issues, such as the questions on the prohibition of advertising, and the wider societal issues, some of which we have touched on today, will be dealt with in the gambling control legislation being brought forward by the Minister for Justice and Equality. Upon the enactment of that legislation, we will have a regulator for the entire gambling sector for the first time. This marks significant progress.

Let me outline the difficulty with the amendment and the reason I am not in a position to accept it. This is the finance-related Bill while the gambling control Bill is the responsibility of the Department of Justice and Equality. It is at Parliamentary Counsel level and will deal with the justice and legal issues.

I am not sure what the amendment will achieve that is not already being achieved in preparation for the gambling control Bill. Members on all sides in both Houses and in the Government should work together on the gambling control Bill. By producing another report outlining what should be done to protect vulnerable people, one is basically serving the purpose of the gambling control Bill in dealing with the wider societal issues. I do not wish to be confrontational or partisan on this, because I accept that the amendment was tabled in good faith. Much of what has been said is valid, but I argue that there are two Bills proposed by the Government for the sector that must be considered, namely the Betting (Amendment) Bill, which is to put in place a regulatory structure for remote and traditional gambling and deal with the finance side, and a justice-related Bill, the gambling control Bill, which is to deal with the wider societal issues and gambling regulation. I understand Senator O'Brien will push this amendment to a vote, but I am not in a position, acting on behalf of the Minister for Finance, to accept it.