I call Deputy Danny Healy-Rae to ask a question on promised legislation or the programme for Government.

A Leas-Cheann Comhairle-----

Which is it?

People throughout the country, especially those who attend bingo nights, are worried and concerned about the Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Bill 2019 that will come before the Dáil tonight. These are ordinary, good living people, mostly elderly people and housewives. I am thinking of the 700 or 800 people who go to bingo in Killarney on a Sunday night. They used to go to Conroy Hall but another hall, St. Mary’s Hall in Killarney, has been sourced. People travel from Kilgarvan, Dooagh, Tarbert and all over the county.

It does not matter where they are from. The legislation is not on townlands.

The Bill will be debated tonight.

This matter has been raised already.

I appeal to the Government not to hurt people who attend bingo.

We have got the question.

It has hurt people in rural Ireland enough by supporting the actions of the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ross.

I call Deputy Michael Collins.

It should not hurt them any further by damaging bingo.

The Deputy has made a case for Kerry and Deputy Michael Collins will make a case for Cork-----

I absolutely will do so for Cork South-West.

-----but they must realise the Minister must legislate for the country.

The Taoiseach addressed this issue earlier but it is quite a serious one. Many of these bingo nights are run to fund local festivals and keep local community halls open. Bingo is a source of vital funds for rural Ireland. Applying the new lottery rules to community run bingo nights will have a serious negative effect on our communities where many people give of their time for the good of others. There is considerable confusion about this. Will the Taoiseach ensure events such as community bingo nights in west Cork-----

It does not matter where they are.

-----that are run for charities will be exempt from the new lottery rules? Will he sideline the Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Bill due to be debated tonight until this confusion has been cleared up?

Thank you, Deputy.

It is very confusing and worrying for the people who are going out to have some enjoyment and are also trying to keep the doors open in community and voluntary facilities.

The Taoiseach clarified this matter earlier. Does he wish to repeat what he said?

I thank the Deputies for raising this matter. I assure them that bingo is just as popular in urban Ireland as it is in rural Ireland.

Why is the Government attacking it then?

I know that from the number of queries I have received about this issue in recent days. I spoke to the Minister of State, Deputy Stanton, about this yesterday. He is from rural Cork, as the Deputies will know, and he assured me that this new law will not have any adverse impact on bingo halls or bingo nights and will not cause any bingo nights to be cancelled or any bingo halls to be closed.

That is not true.

It will.

However, it will require bingo operators, many of which are big commercial operations, to provide at least 25% of the money they raise for the charities. Some of them have not been doing that and that is wrong.

It is the little people who are being attacked again.

That is the same response from the Taoiseach we heard earlier.