Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I absolutely agree with the previous speaker. There is an irony here. Everyone who spoke initially said that what has happened to local democracy is awful, none of us agree with that and we want to see more powers restored. Yet, if Senator McDowell pushes this to a vote, those on the Government side will vote to diminish local authority powers. That is the fact of the matter. How on earth do they justify that? Second, to what end would they do that? What is the benefit of taking away the democratic right of a local authority to say "No" to a gambling institution? Why on earth would the Government vote for that?

My last point is Senator McDowell made a statement in his first contribution, with which I am not agreeing or disagreeing, that in his view, this Bill is about permitting and promoting gambling and not controlling it. I think I am right in saying that. If the Minister of State opposes this amendment, then this is much more about permitting gambling. As Senator McDowell has said, section 96 does not allow him in most cases, in effect, to stop these institutions setting up. For all of those reasons, I ask colleagues to think again. The points made are extremely valid. We can and must do better. For God's sake, if Government Members meant what it said about the diminution of local authority powers, then why on earth would it vote against this amendment to take away local councillor's powers, bearing in mind, we might be looking for votes in a couple of months' time from those councillors although that is not why I am making the point? Seriously, Members should not come in here and tell us they are objecting to a diminution of local democracy and then vote against amendments, therefore reducing local democratic powers. It is nonsense.