Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Government is pushing forward with Fianna Fáil's Bill that will cost local sporting clubs, charities and community organisations thousands of euro in vital fundraising. It is doing this because it is conflating fundraising with gambling across the board. We support the regulation of gambling. A quick search shows that Tus GAA Club, a playgroup, Club Limerick GAA, Tang GAA Club, Oranmore Football Club, Vision Ireland bingo on Highland Radio, North West Hospice bingo on Ocean FM and Kilmacanogue GAA will be affected. What Milford GAA and Buncrana GAA did last year will be made illegal if the Bill goes through. All of those clubs and organisations, along with GAA and soccer clubs, community development and charities that support people with Alzheimer's, cancer, in palliative care and with blindness, need to fundraise in their communities. The restrictions being imposed on them by the Bill will make what they are doing now illegal. The Government needs to stop this Bill going through. We need proper regulation, but not of these kinds of groups.

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