3 March 2020 RHRG APG Meeting Minutes

Minutes - RHRG APG Meeting

Date: Tuesday 3rd March 2020
Time: 1:00pm
Location: Committee Room 30, Parliament Buildings
Chairperson: Robbie Butler MLA
Minutes taken by: Emily McNally, Chambré

Members Present
Robbie Butler MLA
Philip McGuigan MLA
Justin McNulty MLA
Pam Cameron MLA
Paula Bradley MLA
Jim Wells MLA
David Hilditch MLA
Gordon Dunne MLA
Maolíosa McHugh MLA
Paula Bradshaw MLA
Mark Durkan MLA

Apologies
Sinead Ennis MLA
John Stewart MLA

External Guests
Mark Baillie – CARE
Will Chambré - Chambré
Emily McNally – Chambré
Declan Lynch – Sinn Féin
Robert McTernaghan - Sports Law Bar Association of Ireland

Minutes

Welcome
Robbie Butler MLA welcomed members to the meeting and gave a brief introduction on the goals of the APG.

Election of Officers
Election of officers took place with unanimous decisions on the following:
Robbie Butler MLA – Chairperson
Philip McGuigan MLA – Vice Chairperson
Justin McNulty MLA – Treasurer
Pam Cameron MLA – Secretary

Name of All-Party Group
Members agreed that the group should be registered as the All Party Group on Reducing Harm Related to Gambling’.

Secretariat Arrangements
The Chairperson explained that the secretariat support for the group will be provided by CARE staff member Mark Baillie with consultancy services provided by Chambré Public Affairs LLP (Chambré) who are supported by Derek Webb.

Terms of Reference
Members considered the proposed Terms of Reference for the group: “The All Party Group on Reducing Harm Related to Gambling has been established to address the issues associated with Gambling related harm in our community”.

Agreed: Members agreed that the Secretariat would review the ToR in the light of the discussion and circulate a redrafted version to members for approval.

Plan of Work

• Members agreed the following three work streams:
  Legislation - reform of gambling regulations
  Health - specialist treatment and support from the HSC (NHS) for those effected by gambling addiction
  Prevention - role of educators in warning our school children about the risks of gambling and supporting those young people effected by gambling.

• Members agreed the following actions:

• Initially hold an inquiry and produce a report on the reform of the gambling regulations, inviting representatives from the gambling industry, statutory sector and advocacy groups concerned gambling related harm to give written and oral evidence to the group in April and May.

• Hold stakeholder consultation event (late May/early June)

• Ask the Research & Information Service to produce a briefing paper on the regulation of gambling elsewhere in the UK and Ireland.

• Ask Insolvency service if data available on number bankruptcies related to gambling and the number of debt relief orders granted to individuals who have got in to debt as a consequence of gambling

• Ask the Department for Communities to provide a short summary note on consultation document on gambling regulations.

• Seek a meeting with the Minister for Communities once her Department has published its response to the consultation on the gambling regulations.

Role of outside stakeholders
Members agreed that officials from the Department for Communities and stakeholders identified by members be invited to attend APG meetings as observers.

Any other Business
Members agreed to creating a website for the APG.

Date of Next Meeting
To be confirmed