Mark Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 11:

In page 16, between lines 16 and 17, to insert the following:“Report on prevalence of problem gambling

26. The Minister shall, within three months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before the Oireachtas a report on the prevalence of problem gambling in Ireland.”.

We discussed this with regard to problem gambling and the Minister of State outlined some of the discussions he has had in Farmleigh and other places with various stakeholders. This amendment provides that within three months of the passing of the legislation, which is some time away, the Government will lay a report on problem gambling in Ireland before the Oireachtas. That comprehensive report would outline recommendations and actions.I attended a good presentation on a report brought forward by Senator Ó Céidigh, which sets out how the issues faced by small and medium-sized businesses need to be tackled and contains in excess of 100 recommendations. As Senator Marshall has said, those recommendations should be grouped on the basis of timelines - those which could be done immediately, those which could be done in the medium term and those which could be done in the long term - and responsibility for implementing them should be allocated to specified bodies. Rather than merely setting out recommendations, all reports which contain recommendations should also allocate responsibility for implementing those recommendations and set out timelines for their implementation. I ask the Minister of State to accept the amendment.