The GAA, charities, and other charitable organisations are to be given “flexibility” under new laws regulating gambling.
Measures under the proposed gambling law include:
- A ban on advertising during the day;
- The establishment of a social impact fund to support problem gambling initiatives;
- The creation of the country’s first gambling regulator with sweeping powers in the sector.
The proposed amendments will allow the law sufficient flexibility for philanthropic organisations such as the GAA, charities, and other not-for-profit organisations.
The changes will also allow children on the premises of venues that offer more than gambling, whilst upholding a strict prohibition on children engaging in such activity, as well as enabling ATMs to be located at licensees in accordance with strict criteria.
As part of this, the Government noted that the operation of Prize Bonds and Credit Unions, where they provide prize draws, are to be exempted from the scope of the Bill.
Meanwhile, the Government will not oppose a bill to establish a HSE national treatment service for scoliosis being put forward by independent senators.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly is due to update the Seanad on Wednesday on progress made, but will acknowledge that many patients are still waiting too long for hospital appointments and will say that the Government is committed to improving waiting times.
He will outline the progress being made on waiting lists.
At the end of December 2023 there were 231 children on the waiting list for spinal procedures — a 5% reduction compared to the end of 2022.
The number of patients waiting has fallen by a further 12% this year from 231 at the end of December to 203 at the end of May.
The bill, tabled by independent senators, proposes that the HSE establish a national treatment service for scoliosis and provide resources for the service.
Mr Donnelly is expected to tell the Seanad that scoliosis and spina bifida services were a priority in both the 2022 and 2023 Waiting List Action Plans and remain a priority under the 2024 Plan.
Government allocated €19m in funding to help tackle paediatric scoliosis and spina bifida waiting lists by creating additional capacity. The €19m investment supported an increase in the number of spinal procedures in the last two years.
Work is underway on a paediatric spinal care programme which involves improvements to the governance and management of paediatric spinal services.
Separately, Trade Minister Peter Burke gained Government approval to address how royalty payments are to be shared between performers and producers in the absence of an agreement between them.
He will amend two sections of the Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000 (as amended) in order to address the matter of equitable remuneration as contained in a 2020 Court of Justice of the European Union judgment and a subsequent High Court judgement.
The CJEU determined that Ireland has not fully and correctly transposed the provisions of the 2006 Copyright Directive. The proposed amendment rectifies that.