154. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Health his plans to provide funding streams to addiction services to remove the need for organisations in the sector to accept funding from the gambling industry.

153. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Health his views on the need for promotion among healthcare staff of impartial information on the health effects of gambling, separate to that provided by organisations which receive funding from the gambling sector.

Hildegarde Naughton, Minister of State at the Department of Health: I propose to take Questions Nos. 153 and 154 together.

This year, the Dept of Health allocated €0.5m to the HSE to introduce a pilot treatment programme for gambling addiction. This will include information and resources on problem gambling and gaming, including prevention, treatment and support services. In Budget 2024, I secured an additional €0.5m to expand harm-reduction services for adults and children experiencing difficulties with gambling and gaming. A factsheet on Budget 2024 is attached.

This initiative is aligned with the Government’s commitment to establishing a gambling regulator focused on public safety and well-being. Minister of State, James Browne, T.D., has been leading the progression the Gambling Regulation Bill, 2022 to establish the regulator, and the appointment of a CEO designate is an important development. The Bill will establish a social fund through a levy on the gambling industry to finance research and information, to support public education and awareness raising measures in relation to problem gambling and to appropriately support problem gambling treatment. I believe that the allocation of dedicated funding for gambling addiction is an important element in a coordinated public health response to the harms associated with gambling.

Budget 2024