All Party Group on Reducing Harm Related to Gambling – Gaming Machine Inquiry Session 4

Topic: Gaming Machines – perspectives from the Department for Communities (DfC)

Date: Thursday 3 March 2022

Time: 1:30PM

Location: Virtual Meeting via Zoom platform  

Chairperson: Philip McGuigan MLA (PMcG)
Minute taker: Connor Hogan, Chambré

Members Present
Philip McGuigan MLA (PMcG)

Apologies
Robbie Butler MLA

Pam Cameron MLA

Pat Catney MLA

External guests

Ciarán Mee - Department for Communities

Martina Campbell - Department for Communities

Ellen Finlay - Samaritans NI

Grace Popplewell - Department of Health

James Matthewson, The Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust (YGAM)

Peter Keogh - Gambling with Lives (GwL)

Sadie Keogh - GwL

Secretariat

Connor Hogan, Chambré

Will Chambré, Chambré

Welcome
PMcG opened the meeting and advised attendees that the session would be recorded.

Minutes of previous meetings
PMcG advised that as he was the only member present, ratification of minutes will be deferred until the next meeting of the APG.

Matters arising
None

Oral evidence

·        Ciarán Mee gave a short presentation on the DfC’s draft Codes of Practice for gaming machines.

Questions

·        Ciarán and Martina took questions from PMcG, the secretariat and from observers

AOB
None.

Next meeting
This concludes the APG’s inquiry into gaming machines. The secretariat will produce a report which will be produced in the next few weeks.

PMcG thanked the APG members, observers and secretariat.