I beg to move

That this Assembly welcomes the publication of the all-party group (APG) on reducing harm related to gambling's report, 'Public Health Approaches to Tackling Gambling Related Harms'; agrees that gambling should be officially recognised as a public health issue in Northern Ireland; recognises that policies should incorporate population-based approaches that prioritise harm prevention, in line with the public health approach adopted for alcohol and tobacco; notes the urgent need to protect children and those already experiencing gambling harms from gambling-related marketing, which is currently both targeted and pervasive, particularly during sports broadcasts and on social media; calls on the Minister of Health to address the current unmet need within the healthcare system in Northern Ireland by commissioning statutory services specifically for gambling disorders; and further calls on all relevant Departments to ensure that the report's recommendations are carefully considered in the development of future policies aimed at preventing and mitigating gambling-related harms.

The Business Committee has agreed to allow up to one hour and 30 minutes for the debate. The proposer will have 10 minutes to propose the motion and 10 minutes in which to make a winding-up speech. All other Members who are called to speak will have five minutes. Please open the debate on the motion.

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle.

[Translation: Thank you, Mr Speaker.]

I propose the motion as the chair of the all-party group on reducing harm related to gambling. I begin by thanking the members of the all-party group. It is absolutely a cross-party group, whose membership works in an extremely collegial way, along with the effective and supportive secretariat services provided by Chambré Public Affairs. Collectively, the APG members work to highlight the extent of gambling harm in the North. We carry out inquiries and publish reports on certain aspects of gambling. Ultimately, we make policy proposals that, in our view, will help to address the level of harm to our citizens.

From December 2022 to January 2024, the all-party group conducted an inquiry into public health approaches to tackling gambling-related harm in the North. Over 30 witnesses gave oral evidence across 13 sessions, and 45 individuals and organisations submitted written evidence to the APG. The overwhelming weight of the evidence was that gambling is a significant public health issue here. The APG's inquiry report produced 57 recommendations, chief of which was that gambling should be officially recognised as a public health issue in the North.

People might ask, "What is a public health approach, and how could it be applied to gambling-related harm?". Adopting a public health approach simply means treating gambling in a similar way to the way in which the Government here treat alcohol and tobacco, with policies focusing not just on the harm caused to individuals but on population-based approaches that prioritise harm prevention. That is because, as with other legal addictive products, such as tobacco and alcohol, the whole population of the North is vulnerable to gambling addiction and harm.

What is the extent of the problem here? According to the 2016 gambling prevalence survey, 2·3% of the North's population experiences gambling harm. That equates to 40,000 people. I am pretty certain that, were any other illness to affect 40,000 individuals in our population, we would be looking at it from a health perspective and rightly so. It is likely that that figure is an underestimation of the number of problem gamblers in the North at that time, but it is still more than four times that recorded in Britain and almost three times higher than in the South.

Recent data from other parts of these islands suggests that the situation is getting much worse. A 2023 study from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) in Dublin found that 3·3% of adults in the South experienced gambling harm, and new data from the Gambling Commission shows that 2·5% of the adult population in Britain have a gambling problem, which is eight times higher than was previously thought.

We also know from the young persons' behaviour and attitudes survey that 30% of 11- to 16-year-olds in the North have gambled in one form or another in the past 12 months. Despite the fact that the North has a relatively high rate of harm associated with gambling, there are no statutory treatment services for people with gambling disorders here, and the regulations are falling further and further behind the increasingly sophisticated gambling industry.

It is important to note and for me to point out that our all-party group in no way seeks to prohibit gambling; rather, it recognises that serious gambling-related harms can and do occur in our communities and that a better coordinated system of regulation, education, treatment and prevention is required to address that reality. That is why the APG argues that regulation should be proportionate to risk. The more harmful and addictive gambling activities should be subject to tighter rules. That system is already in place in other jurisdictions such as New Zealand, and New Zealand's approach is considered to be the gold standard among public health approaches to tackling gambling-related harm. There, the Ministry of Health is consulted by the Ministry for Regulation regarding the harm caused by various products or industry practices, so that public health can be factored into regulation. The Ministry of Health also has a say on the size of New Zealand's levy on gambling operators, which is calculated on the basis of the profitability and the risk of gambling harms of gambling products.

Our APG recognises that gambling legislation in the North is in need of a complete overhaul. Since the Oireachtas in the South passed the landmark Gambling Regulation Act last year, the North is the only jurisdiction in these islands without updated gambling legislation since the advent of the internet. Online gambling continues to be unregulated here.

The Minister for Communities has been clear that there is insufficient legislative time in the current Assembly mandate to take forward a comprehensive gambling Bill, and we accept that. However, there are important steps that could protect our population from gambling harms that can be taken in the remainder of this mandate without the need for primary legislation. The APG recommends that an integrated, regional public health-focused strategy to prevent and reduce gambling harms should be developed and implemented by the Department of Health in collaboration with other relevant Departments, such as Communities, Education and Justice. The aim should be to end the disjointed Executive approach where one Department promotes an activity as a wealth generator, while other Departments must deal with the attendant health, justice and socio-economic costs.

In 2021, my colleague Deirdre Hargey, as Minister for Communities, set up a cross-departmental working group on preventing and treating gambling-related harm in the community. We welcome the whole-Executive approach, which is absolutely necessary, if we are to comprehensively tackle gambling harms. We also recommend that gambling addiction is fully integrated into all relevant strategies, including mental health and suicide prevention. International research suggests that individuals with gambling disorders have a suicide rate 15 times higher than the general population. We need robust measures to tackle the stigma and shame surrounding gambling addiction and to foster an environment of empathy and support for those affected, thus enabling early intervention and preventing further harm.

I have spoken about my gambling addiction. Despite being an elected representative, I consider myself quite a private person, so I wrestled long and hard with the decision to go public. Ultimately, I decided that, if my experience of knowing and understanding the pain and depths of despair that an addicted gambler experiences could help even one person, it would be worth it. I am contacted by gamblers, but mostly, I have to say, I am contacted by their desperate family members, stricken by the helplessness that they feel as they watch their loved ones suffer. Thankfully, I have been able to help and direct men and women on how and where to seek help as a result of my experience with the illness.

The likes of Gamblers Anonymous, the Dunlewey Addiction Services, Extern and individual addiction counsellors are all invaluable to recovery. Those groups do excellent and life-saving work, but that is not enough to deal with the problem. We have inadequate services to offer those experiencing gambling harm in the North. When I needed help and treatment, I had to go to the White Oaks Addiction Treatment Centre in Donegal. I will be for ever grateful to that centre and to those counsellors, who helped me on the path to recovery. As part of the public health approach, we need appropriate and funded treatment centres in the North.

Many public figures, including adored sporting heroes, have talked publicly about their harmful experience of gambling, using their experiences to help to break down the stigma attached to addiction and, more important, allow sufferers out there to know that they are not alone and, vitally, that recovery is possible. I am a bit disappointed when I see a headline to a story in which I talk about my gambling experiences or other public figures talk about theirs that reduces it to the amount of money lost. I understand why that happens — it grabs attention — but people who suffer with a gambling addiction will lose much more than money. Gambling addiction is a deadly illness. It strips away self-respect, self-worth and self-esteem. It affects and, in some cases, destroys employment, friendships and relationships, and, all the while, the illness progresses and the desperation deepens. In some cases, people find themselves before the courts and lose their freedom. Ultimately, for some, the hole that they are in seems too deep. Too many people afflicted with gambling addiction take their own life as a result of the illness, yet we do not treat that killer illness as a public health issue. That needs to change.

As friends and colleagues can attest, I have little interest in sport, and I had little experience of gambling until I attended the all-party group on reducing harm related to gambling, which was an eye-opening experience. We have seen evidence of the damage done to people's finances, relationships and health by gambling, and we have heard from families who have lost loved ones to suicide as a result of gambling. It has been heartbreaking at times. Gambling is causing a high level of harm in our communities. As Philip said, 2·3% of the population is at risk, which is 40,000 people. That is a staggering figure. It is clear that we need to act.

There are no commissioned treatment services for gambling addiction in our healthcare service. That means that people suffering from gambling disorders here have no access to specialised treatment. Furthermore, capacity in psychiatry and psychology services in general is extremely limited. The Royal College of Psychiatrists told the APG that we were in the midst of a psychiatry workforce crisis. There has been no increase in psychiatry training places in Northern Ireland since 2007, and there are currently only two addiction psychologists across all five healthcare trusts. By contrast, since 2008, NHS England has established 15 specialised gambling clinics, with seven new clinics having opened in the past year as the demand for their services continues to grow.

The Minister must address the current unmet need in the healthcare system in Northern Ireland. In the absence of capacity here, the Minister should investigate the possibility of our health service commissioning NHS England to treat people with problem gambling here. NHS England now regularly uses remote treatment. Recent academic research has found that, while it is not as effective as face-to-face treatment, remote treatment for gambling disorders works and may help to circumvent the practical and psychological barriers associated with face-to-face intervention, such as monetary costs, distance, the lack of flexibility, a desire for secrecy, embarrassment and the fear of stigma.

Several sources, including the voluntary and community sector, have told the APG that, due to insufficient training, questions related to gambling are not being asked of people who present to addiction services in the healthcare system or the voluntary sector. That means that people with gambling disorders are not being diagnosed correctly and not receiving the support that they need. The Minister should prioritise making training available to GPs, emergency services, social care services and other Health and Social Care (HSC) professionals on issues pertaining to gambling, allowing them to more effectively diagnose, signpost and treat patients presenting with a gambling disorder. Furthermore, screening programmes should be introduced across all Health and Social Care services in Northern Ireland to help to identify and assist problem gamblers who are reluctant to seek support. Members may be aware that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines now recommend that GPs and healthcare professionals in England look for gambling-related harms, including to health, finances and people around the patient, such as their family and local community, so that that patient can be identified and offered treatment.

Given the financial pressures on the healthcare system here, lack of funding remains a significant obstacle to providing treatment. An immediate step that could be taken to fund the specific services for gambling disorders, as well as the much-needed research and prevention measures, is the introduction of a levy on gambling operators.

Such a model is already being introduced in GB, where a statutory levy is to be introduced from April 2025, with 50% of the resulting funds being specifically directed to the purpose of commissioning treatment and support services. I commend the Health Minister for the recent representations that he made, alongside the Minister for Communities and the Minister of Education, to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, asking that Northern Ireland receive a share of that statutory levy. The levy is expected to raise £100 million for research and the prevention and treatment of gambling harms. Currently, it will cover England, Scotland and Wales but not Northern Ireland. It is our view that the UK Government have a duty of care to individuals and communities here, who are exposed to marketing by online gambling operators licensed by the Gambling Commission in Britain. We need treatment centres for gambling harms here in Northern Ireland.

Before I start my speech, I want to recognise the hard work of the Members who are part of the APG and are regular and faithful attendees. The work that has been completed there is exceptional. It has a devoted core of members, but I pay tribute to Philip in particular for expressing today some of his personal testimony of the impact that gambling can have on individuals and their families. I also want to read into the record our thanks to Peter and Sadie Keogh in particular. We have had numerous testimonies, to be fair, but, almost without fear of being contradicted, I think that Peter and Sadie have attended every APG meeting, and they have certainly attended all of our events.

I want to speak about the availability and accessibility of gambling products. The rise of online gambling has given people 24-hour access to gambling products. The APG has heard from those involved in the treatment of gambling disorder, who noted that the greater the availability and accessibility of gambling and the more that it is advertised, the higher the consumption and the greater the harm. Whilst that sounds quite obvious, it is important —.

Will the Member give way?

Absolutely.

I pay tribute to the Member and other Members for the amount of work that they have done on the APG. I do not sit on the APG, but I know that it is really important. Does he think that there is a slight disjunction between our debating this motion today and the fact that, earlier, the Assembly passed a regulation that, effectively, increased the availability of gambling? The motion is perfectly reasonable and important, and we will vote for it, but should we not also be looking at legislation to beef up regulation?

The Member's points are really well made, but, in trying to understand the complexity of gambling, I have a personal fear that going for the easy-to-get pieces, such as the land-based gambling institutions, perhaps, and making it harder for them to provide a service, would drive more people towards under-regulated online provision. It is a good point, and legislation in all Houses is needed.

We heard from the Royal Society for Public Health that people with online gambling problems are more likely to place bets between the hours of midnight and 4.00 am and that sleep deprivation makes people pursue bigger risks and give less consideration to negative consequences. That can have a cyclical effect: people at greatest risk of harm are more likely to stay up late, and, as a result, they are sleep-deprived and likely to gamble even more. Therefore, the APG has recommended that the Executive consider restricting access to remote gambling sites between the hours of 12.00 am and 5.00 am, which is in line with the land-based sector and with restrictions on the sale of alcohol. That goes back to my previous point: if we just restrict the land-based institutions, which can have eyes on people who want to gamble, we further expand the online sector, which is exploding in front of our eyes.

We have also been told about so-called covert marketing whereby electronic and continuous forms of gambling — those are highly addictive, amongst the most harmful and are embedded in sports gambling — are cross-sold from lower-risk forms of gambling. Future gambling policy here should not focus solely on treating the individuals who have experienced harm but on regulating the availability and accessibility of the products at the root of that harm.

I am not sure whether Members have experienced the same thing as I have. At Christmas, I bought someone a present of a ticket from one of our local firms that offers prizes of houses, villas in Spain, a quarter of a million pounds and £300,000. I will be honest: I am not an abolitionist, and I bought a ticket. Since I bought that ticket, every single day, my phone has been hammered with text messages and emails. I am not against gambling, but we need to get ahead of this curve. That is why, when we are having these debates, we need to remember that the leader of the Opposition was absolutely right: debates such as the earlier debate and this one need to be better linked. We need to get serious about this. There is stuff that we can do in the House and there is stuff that needs to be done at Westminster.

Studies have shown that the large gambling operators have substantial numbers of followers — unfortunately I have inadvertently found myself to be one of them through buying something as a present — and that they engage in regular activity on social media accounts. One study found that the largest betting operators in the UK — Betfred, Bet365, Coral, Flutter, Paddy Power, Ladbrokes and a group called Entain — posted almost 20,000 tweets in eight months in 2019, which is an average of 80 a day. Elon Musk is giving them a run for their money. I had never heard of Entain, so I googled it to see what it is and what it had done. In 2022, it was fined £17 million. If it could be fined £17 million, I suggest that that fine was probably a small percentage of what it was making off the back of people across the UK. To me, that is indicative of the harm that is being inflicted on people who suffer with a gambling addiction.

Will the Member give way?

Absolutely.

I have had a similar experience since becoming part of the APG. My timelines are now flooded with tweets and things about free spins. Does the Member agree that free spins seem to be an incredibly harmful thing to offer online? If we were handing out free shots of alcohol to alcoholics or free cigarettes to smokers in public, nobody would consider that to be acceptable.

I do indeed. We have touched on something that is really important to get right. I agree that free spins are being deliberately pushed. The software in our phones is incredibly intuitive. It will spot the person who is looking at things for a wee bit longer, and I think that that is called microtargeting. For our land-based organisations, we can more easily monitor that. That is why we need to get the balance right in all the legislative approaches that are taken, whether in this House or in Westminster. The worst thing that we can do is to drive gambling underground, where it will be done in the dark, in the middle of the night, at a time that people will be at greatest risk.

I also commend the work of the APG, of which I am a member. My attendance at its meetings has not been great lately. Justin McNulty does the lion's share of our work on it. Justin cannot be here today, as he is caught up with constituents who are still without power. I commend Mr McGuigan again on airing his own experience. It is indeed valuable. If any of us can put anything out there that can help someone else, it is important that we do so.

I will particularly address the use of electronic gaming machines, also known as fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs). Those machines, which offer a variety of games, including roulette, are highly addictive and often described as the crack cocaine of gambling. Evidence from the most recent inquiry, as well as that from previous inquiries, strongly suggests that the risk of gambling harm is significantly influenced by the characteristics of the gambling products themselves, with several witnesses highlighting how the public health implications of harm stem from gaming machines specifically. Clinical experts told the inquiry that gambling products that offer continuous play, which is characterised by high speed of play and a short time between wagers and outcomes, as is the case with electronic gaming machines and online gambling games, carry a much higher risk of addiction and related harms. That impresses on us the need to regulate the characteristics, as well as the availability and accessibility, of the products at the root of the harm.

Earlier in today's business, in reference to the initial gambling code of practice, the Minister for Communities said to my party colleague the leader of the Opposition that there are measures in place that will make a difference. From a public health perspective, however, it is disappointing that the draft initial code of practice that was consulted on recently makes no reference to gaming machines, particularly given their high risk of addiction and related harms, as I have outlined. It is timely and urgent that we address the risks associated with electronic gaming machines, given that, earlier today, regulations to raise significantly the maximum stake and prize limits for gaming were approved by the Assembly. In light of the new regulations and a growing body of evidence that highlights gaming machines as being the most harmful group of products, it is imperative that we have clarity over who has responsibility for enforcement. The question of enforcement is particularly important, given that there is evidence that the previous regulations setting maximum stake and prize limits for gaming machines were not being routinely enforced here. I ask the Minister to seek assurances from the Minister for Communities that there will be robust oversight and enforcement of the new regulations.

It is important to emphasise, as others have, that the APG is not anti-gambling. However, whilst gambling operators here are making significant profits, thousands of people and thousands more families in our communities are suffering from gambling harms. It is only fair therefore that gambling operators pay their fair share to help to prevent and treat that harm through a levy, as provided for in the legislation that we debated at length and voted through in the previous mandate. We were frustrated that that legislation did not go far enough. Many Members expressed that frustration. At the time, we were told by the then Minister that it was due to a truncated mandate. There was a promise that full legislation would come forward in the next mandate that would deal with all the ills. However, here we are again, with a Minister telling us — as he was quoted by Mr McGuigan — that because, again, we have a short mandate, there is not the time to bring forward the all-singing, all-dancing and all-protecting legislation that is required. Therefore, rather than shrugging their shoulders and saying that more needs to be done, some parties need to hold their hands up and say that their actions when they were out of Government, when they were preventing the formation of a Government, and their inaction when they have been in Government have prevented more being done to mitigate gambling-related harms.

I am glad that the Minister of Health is here. I ask him to ensure that there is a close working relationship between his Department, the Department for Communities and all other Departments and agencies with responsibility for the issue.

I thank the APG on reducing harm related to gambling for tabling the cross-party motion. I will speak in my capacity as a Sinn Féin MLA. Some of my remarks will be informed by my role as Chair of the Committee for Communities.

As the proposer of the motion set out in his remarks, the North has a higher prevalence of problem gambling than any other jurisdiction on these islands. As the chair of the APG said, the most recent gambling prevalence survey showed that 2·3% of the population — 40,000 people — were impacted on. Given that that survey was nine years ago, we can assume that the figure now is worse.

The motion calls for gambling to be treated as a health issue, similar to alcohol and tobacco, as it is in New Zealand and various other countries. A public health approach is vital if we are to make any serious impact on reducing the harm that is related to gambling. Many of us in the Chamber will know someone who has suffered harm as a result of problem gambling. Addiction to gambling can push victims into serious financial difficulty, debt or bankruptcy. It can cause relationships to break down and employment to be terminated. It is also directly linked to a host of physical and health conditions, including depression and anxiety.

As well as treating gambling-related harm as a public health issue, the regulatory framework around the gambling industry needs a complete overhaul. Our current gambling laws are outdated and no longer fit for purpose. The current legislation dates back to the 1980s and takes no account of online gambling, which is the most common form of gambling today. We need to ensure that the North has an appropriate and effective regulatory framework around our gambling laws.

Often, it is said that overhauling our gambling laws would involve passing the largest piece of legislation ever seen in the Assembly and would require a full mandate to get passed. That is all the more reason to ensure that the necessary preparatory work is being carried out now, so that an incoming Minister, whoever that is, will be in a position to hit the ground running with legislation early in the next mandate. I have to say, speaking with insight from my role as Chair of the Communities Committee, that I was slightly concerned during a recent evidence session with Department for Communities officials to hear them say that two or three people in the Department are working in the area of gambling reform. Clearly, a Bill of such magnitude would require a fully staffed and dedicated team. It is important that the correct resources are in place to carry out that vital piece of work now in readiness to move quickly at the start of the next mandate.

In addition to proper staffing, there are other things that the Minister could, and should, progress in this mandate, such as a levy on the gambling industry. Recently, the British Government announced that they plan to introduce a levy on gambling companies in England, with the revenue generated being directed towards research, education and treatment of gambling-related harms.

It seems only fair that companies that perpetuate gambling-related harm against vulnerable people take some responsibility for enabling the care and treatment of those who are adversely affected and for reducing that harm.

The online gambling industry has been aptly described as the Wild West, in that there appears to be little, if any, effective regulation. The North remains the only region on these islands without an independent regulator to hold gambling companies to account. There remains a degree of confusion about what, if any, jurisdiction the Gambling Commission in Britain has over the North, given that online telecommunications are a reserved matter. It is a concern that, in the absence of an independent regulator here, up-to-date data and information on the actual levels of harm are not being gathered and reported on more frequently.

As other Members mentioned, those harms and their prevention need to be tackled across government, including by Health in supporting treatment of addictions, by Education in prevention and by Communities in regulation. It is incumbent on us in the House to do better to join together in support of those in our communities who are affected by gambling-related harms. Once again, I thank the members of the APG for tabling the motion.

I support the motion, and I welcome the report of the all-party group on reducing the harm that is related to gambling. I pay tribute to the chair of the APG, Philip McGuigan, who has been so generous with his lived experience. I am sure that that is not a comfortable space to be in, so, thank you, Philip.

The report provides a vital road map for addressing gambling as a public health crisis. I will focus on the impact on children and young people. Gambling should absolutely be officially recognised as a public health issue. Similar to other forms of addiction, the harms of gambling extend far beyond the individuals who are involved to their families and communities. A comprehensive public health approach that focuses on the strands of prevention, education, regulation and treatment is essential in mitigating the harm before it escalates to crisis point.

The impact of gambling on children and young people is particularly concerning. For example, recent data from the young persons' behaviour and attitudes survey that others have spoken about reveals that 30% of 11-to-17-year-olds have gambled in the past year. Even more troubling is the fact that the most prevalent forms of gambling among that age cohort are those that carry the highest addiction risks, that is, online gambling and fruit and slot machines. The digital age has transformed gambling accessibility, which is exceptionally worrying, given that the legislation governing gambling was introduced in the year that I was born and, as we heard, has not been fully overhauled since.

As the APG noted, you do not need to walk into a betting shop any more. You can gamble anonymously and endlessly from your bedroom. Whilst smartphones are often given to children for safety, protection and connectivity, they inadvertently provide easy access to gambling platforms. I have seen it with my children, who, when they have used my tablet, have been given access to games that promote gambling, even when the downloaded apps are classified as age three and over or age five and over. The loot boxes —.

Will the Member give way?

Yes, of course.

I applaud the Member for specifically referring to that. Is she also concerned about the games? With games such as 'Fortnite' and others — I am not familiar with them — you can purchase elements inside the game. Sorry if you were going to raise it down the line, but it is concerning, because the games are for kids, but there is also a financial element to them.

The Member has an extra minute.

I thank the Member. My next point is on loot boxes. The loot boxes that are in video games such as 'Fortnite' and 'Minecraft' have further complicated the issue. Whilst they are not legally classified as gambling, those features share similar psychological mechanisms and have been strongly linked to gambling harm. Several countries have taken action, with Belgium and the Netherlands ruling that certain loot box sales constitute gambling, while China requires gaming companies to disclose their reward probabilities. There is a fine line between gaming and gambling.

The consequences of gambling harm extend far beyond financial losses. Research that was published in the 'Lancet Public Health' showed that adults experiencing escalating gambling harm are 2·74 times more likely to attempt suicide. That emphasises the need for routine screening in the healthcare and social services sphere. Education has to play a central role in addressing the crisis, and schools should implement age-appropriate, evidence-based programmes that challenge societal norms, explain addiction and teach critical skills, such as understanding probability. I wonder whether we could see a multi-departmental approach, potentially invoking some of the work of the Children's Services Co-operation Act (Northern Ireland) 2015. It is something that has young people at its heart, and we need a multi-departmental approach to the issue.

A notable omission in the report was the education of parents and guardians. Parents need support to recognise the harm of gambling and to foster open conversations with their children, particularly about the risks of loot boxes and online gambling through gaming platforms. That could be a useful sphere. However, education alone is not sufficient, and the prevention measures must adapt to the digital age. Online gambling platforms implementing stringent age verification processes and facing penalties for breaches would be useful, but, as we have heard, regulation of online gambling remains a significant challenge, particularly in Northern Ireland.

We must address the current lack of statutory services for gambling addiction in Northern Ireland. The Minister has heard that before, but he should consider the commissioning of dedicated support services to ensure that treatment is accessible to all, regardless of age, background and postcode. It should not depend on the trust area that you live in. It is not optional; it is an imperative.

The harm caused by gambling is preventable, but prevention requires decisive action, particularly for our children and young people. The issue persists because the system currently fails to protect young people, and they are particularly vulnerable because of their impulsivity and developing brains. Therefore, to safeguard their future, we have to implement a comprehensive education programme, strengthen the regulations via the Department for Communities and establish accessible treatment options. We need a multi-departmental approach to create a safer environment for future generations.

One of the perks of reaching my stage of life is that you have earned the privilege of freely using the phrase, "Back in the day". Back in the day, the opportunity to put a few bob on a horse meant a journey to the local bookies, and every town had at least one. The punter could gamble only the meagre hard cash that they had in their pocket. Now, placing a bet is as easy as pushing a few buttons on a keyboard. Your phone can be your local bookmaker. The electronic devices in the home are your 24/7 access to placing a bet, and the funds to do so are not just the few coins in the bottom of your pocket.

One of the realities of life is that casinos and online gambling sites, along with high street bookmakers, do not exist to make punters rich. The addiction to trying to beat the bookie can wreck marriages and families, and it can lead to the loss of a home. The local papers regularly report court cases of formerly upright citizens having stolen money from employers to feed their habit and having attracted a life-changing criminal record. That can all come with mental stress that turns into a serious mental health issue. Many victims need help beyond what commendable charities may be able to offer.

It requires three fronts to be opened up: education for our young people is vital; mental health services need to be adjusted to help addicts fight their demons; and online and TV gambling sites, as my colleague said, need to have their hours of operation curtailed. I support the general thrust of the motion.

I will speak to the motion because I spoke on the order earlier on changing some of the stakes and payouts for certain types of gambling. Given that I remarked on the interaction between the order and motion, it is important that I speak in the debate. I want to be constructive, because the APG does very important work. Although I am not a member of the APG, I have paid some attention to the issue, and, as my colleague Mark Durkan said, our party is represented on the all-party group. Robbie Butler spoke very well about the work of the APG. Philip McGuigan, as always, shared his experience in a very heartfelt and insightful way.

I, like other people, have taken the time to say that I am certainly not opposed to gambling. In the past, I have had, and still occasionally have, a flutter on the horses. I come from a town where horse racing is very important because it is one of two places in Northern Ireland with a racecourse. One of my first paid occupations — I probably should not say this: I will get someone into trouble — was working behind a bar, phoning through bets. That was 20-odd years ago, when most people did not have phones and did not have online betting. That was a thing that people did in country pubs in rural areas. Therefore, I do not take a puritanical or abolitionist approach to gambling. Enjoying a bit of sports betting is something that can be a bit of craic, and it can also support community, social and sporting endeavours and groups, GAA clubs and, by all means, I am sure, other community groups and all the rest of it.

As Alan Chambers said, however, we have entered into a different technological age. We are talking about something entirely different from someone putting a fiver on a horse at the racecourse or in a bookies. Whatever people's theoretical, moral views about the rights or wrongs of gambling, it is fundamentally a different thing to have to find an open bookies, with a fiver, or whatever, in your pocket, go in and place the bet, write it down and understand all the details. It is totally different from having a phone on which you can gamble away your life's savings at any given moment.

The reason that I draw that distinction is that we are here in the Assembly as legislators who have the power to legislate and change that. In 2021, when we debated the previous gambling legislation in the Assembly, I was here and made the point that I thought that it did not go anywhere near far enough. I thought it strange that we were talking about gambling harm but were, effectively, liberalising gambling, which is what we did earlier, when we passed the secondary legislation. At that time, the then Minister, Deirdre Hargey, said, and I quote from Hansard:

"I hope that Members will agree that, even if the Bill" — which is now an Act —

"is eventually passed, there will remain a much larger job of work to be done, and that needs to take place in the next mandate." — [Official Report (Hansard), 27 September 2021, p13, col 1].

We have lost some of this mandate, but that was back in 2021, three and a half years ago. The Chair of the Communities Committee, Mr Gildernew, remarked that a new Bill would have to go into the next mandate, so that is from 2027 onwards. The previous Minister said, in 2021, that we needed new legislation to deal with all the gambling harm. It will be another decade, apparently before we get that legislation.

This motion is very important. It is well intended, and I do not trivialise it at all. It is hugely important. However, we are legislators. As you told us today in a letter, Mr Speaker, we are legislators. We are not a school debating society and did not come in here to wring our hands and say, "Jeez, boys, isn't this bad? Isn't it awful? Something must be done." We are here to do something. That is why we have been sent here. We have the power to legislate and pass laws. We could do that.

The Minister of Health is just one Minister. A lot of the stuff that we are talking about is not directly his responsibility. However, I ask whether he agrees that the Executive should go away and look at the draft Programme for Government (PFG), and see whether they can find the scope to put in at least the beginning of work to produce a comprehensive Bill on regulating gambling, including online harms. There will be challenges: a lot of that area is reserved. It will require resources. However, I would welcome it if the Health Minister could bring that back from today's debate and see whether it could be put in the final PFG.

We all agreed, effectively, in 2021 that it was for the next mandate. Lo and behold, we have a PFG, and there is no mention of gambling. We are all here, on a cross-party motion, talking about how awful gambling harm is — and, my God, it is. Since we debated it in 2021, lives and homes will have been lost. Families will have been broken up. People will have been pushed into desperation and suicide.

If we are serious about it, we will do more than simply agree this motion — well-meaning and thoughtful as it is — we will legislate. Let us get that from today's motion. Let us get a commitment to do all that we can to get something on the statute books by the end of the mandate.

I cannot quite believe that we are here, debating this motion, just after the House, before lunch, voted to increase the gambling stakes and prizes of gambling machines, without even introducing any balancing protections.

People will smell more than a whiff of hypocrisy as they consider our actions today, just as they will be forced to question our competence. On 5 April, the Gambling Levy Regulations 2025 will come into effect in GB and are expected to raise between £90 million and £100 million per annum to help those experiencing gambling harm in GB.

Why are we not demonstrating the same commitment to hold the gambling industry to account? It damages our constituents, as demonstrated by GB. That is a pressing question because, as I have said before, the only really thorough assessment of gambling harm in Northern Ireland was the Department for Communities' problem gambling survey of 2016, which demonstrated that the problem gambling rate here is five times that in England.

The Minister has the power to introduce a levy, but he has not used his powers under section 17(3) of the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 to commence the regulation-making power. Even if he did that, we would still have a problem, because the section 15 levy engages only certain forms of terrestrial gambling. That is a huge problem for two reasons. First, today, gambling is done more online. More than half of gross gambling yield comes from online gambling. Secondly, the problem-gambling prevalence figures associated with online gambling are significantly higher than those associated with terrestrial gambling. If you look at the GB Gambling Levy Regulations — I have a copy here — you will see that they expressly apply to both terrestrial and online gambling and that the levy is charged at a significantly higher rate on online gambling firms.

The reason why Northern Ireland is not covered by the new legislation is supposedly that gambling is a devolved matter. In truth, however, while there is no Assembly legislation covering online gambling, there is Westminster legislation that engages with it. Section 5 of the Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act 2014 protects Northern Ireland consumers from exposure to online gambling websites that do not have Gambling Commission licences — the same as in Great Britain. Thus, in practice, the Gambling Commission is more the regulator of online gambling in Northern Ireland than anyone else.

In that context, it would make more sense to ask the UK Government to amend the regulation-making power that has given rise to the Gambling Levy Regulations 2025 and to collect the part of the levy pertaining to online gambling in Northern Ireland. If we do not do that, we must move immediately to pass primary legislation to introduce a Northern Ireland levy that engages with online as well as terrestrial gambling. In doing so, however, we must be mindful of the need to provide comparable help to those suffering from gambling harm in Northern Ireland as quickly as possible. With that in mind, I question whether it is really practical and efficient for the smallest part of the UK to engage with the online gambling providers. I suspect that it would be better dealt with by the Gambling Commission. Obviously, it would require a change in UK legislation, but, if we do not have the capacity to deal with online gambling ourselves, we need to be honest about that.

We also need to have a conversation with the UK Government, because, on 7 January, they said that they cannot guarantee that someone who self-excludes under the multi-operator self-exclusion mechanism to help those experiencing gambling harm in an online context will be excluded in Northern Ireland. The Government said that they can still self-exclude but that, unlike in GB, they cannot guarantee that self-exclusion will always be honoured in Northern Ireland. That leaves the part of the UK with the highest problem gambling prevalence figures as the least protected in relation to the form of gambling associated with generating the greatest difficulty.

I thank the Member who moved the motion for speaking out. I also thank the members of the APG for their work.

There are clear winners and losers in the gambling industry. The winners are the multinational corporations that rake in the profits. The losers are the punters whose mental and physical health is destroyed by gambling addiction and their loved ones. As we have heard, the rate of problem gambling is consistently higher in the North than it is in the South or in Great Britain. There are at least four times as many people with a gambling problem here than there are in Britain. There are the same number of people experiencing gambling-related harm in the Six Counties as there are in the Twenty-six Counties combined, which is hugely worrying. Despite that, the North is, as we have heard, a Wild West where gambling reform is falling behind that in the rest of the islands.

Gambling harm affects people differently. Rates of prevalence seem to be higher amongst men and boys, though women face specific pressures and challenges when it comes to gambling addiction and recovery. People living in poverty and those with mental health issues are much more likely to gamble, and they are much more at risk of gambling harm.

The figures and stats that we have heard today only scratch the surface. For every person with a gambling problem, between five and 10 other people are indirectly harmed by it. There is a lack of data on gambling-related suicide. Figures suggest — some estimate — that between 4% and 11% of suicides are likely to be gambling-related, but I suspect that the percentage is probably higher. The financial impacts are also devastating. While families who are harmed by gambling fall into debt and destitution, the gambling industry is raking it in. It is literally profiteering from other people's misery. In the UK, the gambling industry is worth over £15 billion. Its insatiable thirst for profit leaves people suffering in its wake.

It is also worth mentioning that Bet365 and William Hill have subsidiaries in tax havens around the world, so they are avoiding taxes as well, and we must mention that the names of gambling companies are emblazoned on sports tops and stadiums across the board. The industry's goal is to exploit as many people as possible, especially in our most deprived communities, and to extract as much wealth as it can from the pockets of working-class people at any cost.

It is an industry that also spends £1·5 billion a year on advertising in the UK. That is a total waste of money, but it also causes severe harm. The way in which operators target their ads at people who are most at risk of harm is absolutely ruthless. Massive amounts of data are harvested about players, including the types of marketing to which people are more susceptible. On the basis of what they respond to, ads are then hyper-targeted at users. Some 60% of gambling companies' profits come from just 5% of users: that is terrifying.

Gambling companies do not see people with a gambling addiction as vulnerable people who are in need of support; they are just high-value customers. It is predatory capitalism at it finest. While trying to suck as much money out of people as possible, betting companies warn people by saying, "Gamble responsibly" and, "When the fun stops, stop", as though it is as simple as that for a person with an addiction to turn off the switch. Research shows that those warning messages have absolutely no effect.

It is clear that a public health approach to tackling gambling will not come from Westminster. The gambling industry and its lobbyists enjoy a cosy relationship with Labour and the Tories. Westminster has been a trailblazer when it comes to regulating gambling but in all the wrong ways. It has exported light-touch regulation and messaging about responsible gambling around the world. An industry as powerful and profitable as the gambling industry will never regulate itself. There is an opportunity for us to take a completely different approach to gambling harm in the North, and I urge the Executive to do so. That begins with recognising gambling as a public health issue similar to alcohol and tobacco, as Members have said. Rather than framing gambling as an issue rooted in individual attitudes and behaviours, a public health approach would recognise the wider impact of gambling on the well-being of the whole community. The Department of Health should work alongside the Department for Communities, the Department of Education and the Department of Justice to reduce and prevent gambling harm.

I pay tribute to the many volunteers, including those in my constituency, who help others with gambling issues. They do so in their own time, off their own back and from the goodness of their heart. There is Gambling with Lives, but there are also groups in my constituency that meet in Twin Spires and Coláiste Feirste. The situation is not sustainable, however, because they report to me that they are getting early morning calls — at 2.00 am and 3.00 am — from people who are suicidal because of gambling-related issues. It should be treated as a public health issue, and appropriate funding should flow from that. We also need a dedicated gambling treatment service. As we have heard, England has 15 such clinics: we have zero. A financial levy should also be applied to gambling operators in the North to fund research, prevention and treatment.

I support the motion, and I urge the Executive to act on this matter of public health.

I thank all the Members who have spoken in the debate. I pay particular thanks to members of the all-party group, not just for the work that they have done on the latest inquiry into public health approaches to tackling gambling but for all the work that they have done since the APG was formed. Previous inquiry reports, numerous evidence sessions and an all-round determination to tackle the harms have been of much support and interest to my Department and to me personally.

The first thing that you need to do, if you want to address a problem, is to name it, whether it is cancer, suicide or gambling harms. As other Members have done, I commend Mr McGuigan, because he has named it and so publicly owned his experience.

It is clear from the evidence available that problem gambling and gambling addiction are harmful to health. Those harms can be widespread, and they manifest in a number of ways, including mental health issues, substance use, addiction, financial problems, relationship issues, emotional or psychological distress or, indeed, criminal activity. I note the stark findings in Public Health England's 'Gambling-related harms evidence <BR/>review' in 2021, which said:

"people with gambling disorder have an increased risk of dying from any cause, in a given time period, relative to the general population."

While evidence demonstrates a clear link between problem gambling and mental ill health, the relationship can be complex, with studies showing that gambling can be a coping response to pre-existing mental health problems.

At this point, I thank the Minister for Communities and his officials for their efforts thus far and their continued work on legislative reform in Northern Ireland. It is widely documented that gambling legislation here is outdated and does not effectively address the growing issue of the online market. My officials remain engaged with and supportive of their DFC colleagues as that work progresses.

That said, the deficit in up-to-date data and evidence on gambling prevalence and associated harms here is well documented. My Department continues to work collaboratively with cross-departmental colleagues to address that. The questions on gambling that were included for the first time in the young person's behaviour and attitudes survey and the Northern Ireland health survey will help, and the results of the latter are expected imminently. I have been informed that the Department for Communities has commissioned an updated gambling prevalence survey, the first of its kind since 2016. I hope that those results and the ongoing programme of work will help us to fully understand the extent of gambling in our population and the harms associated with it. That will allow us to make informed decisions about potential policy progression and/or treatments in that area.

Our approach to gambling-related harm must continue to be collaborative, departmentally and across the sector, and to engage key stakeholders to ensure that, moving forward, our decision and policymaking will have the right outcomes for those who need them most. My officials will continue to do that, facilitated by the cross-departmental working group on tackling gambling harms, and they will remain engaged.

As I said at the beginning of my remarks, I thank the Members who tabled the motion and, more widely, the members of the APG for their recent inquiry report and its recommendations, which I welcome. My officials carried out scoping work following the recommendations contained in the first inquiry report, 'The Future Regulation of Gambling in Northern Ireland'. We intend to review policy options following the latest inquiry's recommendations. I hope that that work, alongside the updated data and evidence work that is being undertaken, will put us in a position where my cross-departmental colleagues and I can make decisions that will lead to the start of real progress in the area, learning from previous approaches taken in similar areas where there is harm to health, such as tobacco and alcohol, as mentioned in the motion.

I note the issue that the motion raises about gambling-related marketing. As Members know, the regulation of gambling advertising is a reserved matter. I feel, however, that we must continue to address the correlation between advertising and gambling-related harms. Therefore, last September, the Minister for Communities, the Minister of Education and I sent a joint letter to the new Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. We noted the lack of a recommendation in the published UK Government White Paper of an outright ban on gambling advertising. We further sought engagement and involvement in any potential consideration of a change of direction in that approach following the general election. We are keen to have closer and stronger collaboration on enforcing gambling advertising regulation between, first, the relevant statutory bodies in Northern Ireland and, secondly, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and the Gambling Commission in GB. In the letter, we also raised a concern about Northern Ireland's exclusion from a share of the funds raised through the proposed statutory GB levy, to which many Members have referred.

Following a response from Baroness Twycross, the Minister for Gambling, we were assured that any actions taken would consider the implications for Northern Ireland, including engagement with Ministers as necessary. Cross-departmental officials have recently engaged with relevant colleagues in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to further discuss and explore the issues, including the levy, and how collaborative working between the nations can be maximised with a view to improving outcomes for those who need them.

On the motion and the current lack of statutory services that are dedicated to supporting those with problem gambling or gambling addiction needs, while I would like to say that support may be available through existing pathways for those with coexisting substance use or mental health needs, I note that we have some way to go to match the current gambling-specific treatment models that are available in some neighbouring jurisdictions. I also note the support that is offered through our community and voluntary sector to which our statutory service will signpost. That valuable work does not go unnoticed and it is greatly appreciated.

That said, if we are adopting a public health approach to gambling, my Department will have a role in the commissioning of gambling support and treatment services in Northern Ireland. In line with the usual process for commissioning services, any decision to commission bespoke gambling treatment services will need to be based on an assessment of the level of demand for services in order to create a fuller understanding of the population need here and in the context of future budget availability. I am hopeful that the work that was discussed earlier in that space will allow us to review that from a more informed position.

It is clear that funding for new services that are aimed at the prevention and/or treatment of gambling harm must not come from core health and social care funding. Mental health and addiction services are already challenged by the adequacy of the resources that are available to respond to the needs of the population. As Members will be aware, significant reductions will be required in my Department to contain existing resource expenditure, and funding pressures will need to be considered and prioritised alongside other demand pressures for available funding.

Funding for gambling harm services should be clearly seen as new or additional funding that does not, in any way, disadvantage core mental health and addiction services and their service users. As part of the scoping work, my officials have had some sight of potential high-level indicative treatment models for Northern Ireland that could be considered, taking into consideration the issues that I have outlined as well as training requirements for those who may be delivering the services. I am also grateful for the support that has been offered by the APG members and experts from other jurisdictions on what those services could look like.

I finish my formal remarks by reiterating my acknowledgement that gambling can, indeed, be harmful to health and that there is work to be done in Northern Ireland to understand the prevalence, the implications and the population needs in relation to that. My Department would have a key role to play in adopting a public health approach to gambling. If that approach is taken, however, in order to be truly successful in tackling harms and to deliver what is needed, it is vital that such an approach is cross-departmental and collaborative. My Department will closely consider the recommendations in the APG report as part of any policy development and will continue to engage with the relevant colleagues and stakeholders as required, including members of the all-party group.

Finally, there was a direct plea from the leader of the Opposition to insert something in the Programme for Government. I say to the Member, respectfully, that it is not for me to adapt the draft Programme for Government. Rather, any changes should be as a result of the analysis of the responses to the consultation on the draft Programme for Government. On that basis, I ask whether the SDLP has responded to the consultation in the terms that the Member outlined. If he can do that in 10 seconds, he is in.

We have certainly responded to the draft PFG. If we have not specifically included this matter, we will respond again.

[Interruption.]

I trust that we will have the support of everyone in the Chamber on that.

I thank the Member for that frank response.

I call Paul Frew to make his winding-up speech on the motion. You have 10 minutes, Mr Frew.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am taking part in the debate as a member of the APG on reducing harm related to gambling. First, I commend and pay tribute to my North Antrim MLA colleague Philip McGuigan for his candour today and in the past. I have no doubt that Philip McGuigan's actions in that regard have saved lives and helped people who have a gambling disorder and their families. The House should commend Philip McGuigan for that, because it is not easy. We are public figures, but we also want to claim some privacy, so what Philip has done is to be commended. I believe that he has done it to save lives and to protect families and the loved ones of people who are afflicted with this disorder.

The motion speaks of:

"the urgent need to protect children and those already experiencing gambling harms from gambling-related marketing, which is currently both targeted and pervasive, particularly during sports broadcasts and on social media".

I will focus my comments on that marketing. I am a Spurs fan —

A Member:

I feel sorry for you, Paul.

[Laughter.]

— and there is probably not a surer bet in the world at this time than a bet on Spurs to lose. That is not a tip; it is a cry of desperation

[Laughter.]

You cannot fail, however, to acknowledge and see the massive amount of advertising and pressure that you get before a match, when the blood is up; during half-time, when the blood is up; and after the event, when the blood is down and you are in despair. Maybe at that point you are trying to reclaim some of your money. The advertising and pressure are targeted, and they are dangerous.

Evidence that the APG received shows that gambling marketing has become ubiquitous over the past number of years. The gambling industry in the UK spends in excess of £1·5 billion a year on advertising. It knows that it is on to a winner. Six in 10 consumers report seeing gambling advertising at least once a week. We should be extremely concerned about the pervasiveness of gambling marketing, especially considering the impact that it is having on children and young people.

I thank the Member for giving way and for his absolute and very honest interest in the subject. On the matter that the Member is speaking about, does he agree that it is really disappointing to see comedians and some of our richest sports stars, among them former Liverpool and Spurs players, contributing to advertising schemes? That just plays to the younger generation, which is looking at those really successful people and thinking that perhaps gambling is the way to get there.

I thank the Member for his contribution, and I will add to it by including even film stars and people who we would have watched on TV when growing up. It is pervasive and dangerous. Of course, there is money involved. It is a very powerful lobby, so that entices those people to go on TV to advertise their wares.

A recent joint report by Ulster University and Maynooth University found that young people on the island of Ireland are constantly exposed to gambling marketing through sports consumption on their mobile phones, on television and in their towns and villages. That is changing young people's attitudes towards gambling, with researchers finding that young people believe that there is a natural relationship between sport and gambling. Meanwhile, it found that young people are largely unaware of the range of gambling harms beyond financial losses. That is bad enough. It also found that certain sports programmes are absolutely saturated with gambling marketing. Separate research from the University of Bristol last year identified almost 30,000 gambling messages over the opening weekend of the Premier League season. That was a threefold increase on the previous year, so you can see how such marketing is being escalated.

During the APG's inquiry, we heard that there is a growing body of evidence that shows a strong correlation between advertising and marketing on the one hand and the gambling behaviour of those who are most vulnerable to gambling addiction on the other. According to Gambling Commission research, gambling marketing prompts unplanned spend in around one third of sports betters and emerging adults. Also, most of those with gambling problems said that marketing prompted unplanned spend. The draft initial gambling code of practice, which the Department for Communities recently consulted on, prohibits gambling marketing that is particularly appealing to children. Therefore, we urge the Executive to amend existing legislation to ban gambling advertising at local sporting events that are likely to be attended by children, such as Northern Ireland Football League matches.

Some 80% of all gambling marketing activity is now on the internet. That is a massive challenge. Companies are spending five times more online than on television. They know where their marketplace is. In Northern Ireland, print advertising is regulated under the 1985 Order, but online marketing is a regulatory grey area. While online gambling operators licensed by the Gambling Commission can freely advertise in Northern Ireland, because online and broadcast advertising is a reserved matter, our population is afforded no protection by the regulator in GB, as other Members mentioned.

The draft initial gambling code of practice recommends that gambling operators comply with relevant codes administered by the Advertising Standards Authority. The ASA relies on the Gambling Commission to take enforcement action against gambling operators who persistently breach their codes in GB. However, if an online gambling operator uses social media channels to target people in Northern Ireland and, in doing so, breaches the codes on multiple occasions, the Gambling Commission is unable to take enforcement action due to its lack of jurisdiction here. In short, it is powerless when it comes to code breaches that occur in Northern Ireland.

Legislation that was passed last year in the Republic of Ireland introduced significant restrictions on gambling marketing. The restrictions included the introduction of a watershed for gambling advertising on television and radio between 5.30 am and 9.00 pm and a ban on advertising gambling content on social media unless the recipient is following a gambling company's social media account. If a jurisdiction nearby is legislating well or better than we are, we should take notice. The legislation also prohibits advertising that is likely to portray gambling as attractive to children and includes a ban on the sale of branded clothing or merchandise intended to be worn by children or at events that may be attended by them. That is an important step, given the extremely high levels of gambling marketing to which children are exposed through televised sports programmes.

The Minister mentioned that he, the Communities Minister and the Education Minister wrote to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. She has the power, under existing laws, to introduce similar marketing restrictions and should do as a matter of urgency. I ask the Health Minister and his Executive colleagues to write again to the Westminster Government, calling on them to take positive steps to restrict the promotion of gambling and to act on their general election manifesto commitment to reduce gambling-related harm.

Will the Member give way?

Yes, I will.

I will be brief. I do not disagree with anything that the Member has said. He is right that advertising is a reserved matter, but the Executive can take action. Does the Member agree that there should be legislation before the end of the mandate and that it should be in the PFG?

The Member raises a valid point. I, who served on the previous Committee for Communities, was deeply frustrated at the legislation that came before us. We all recognised that we could have and probably should have done so much more. The work should not cease because we are in a shortened mandate. Work can continue. Even if we do not see the blue pages of a Bill in this mandate, it should be oven-ready to go ahead immediately in the next mandate.

We should look at this as a public health matter. I stress that to the Health Minister. The Member opposite said that it could be a decade before legislation is passed, but there is an opportunity even this year. The Minister did a consultation on what he called a public health Bill. I do not see much about it that relates to public health. He talked about lockdowns, but they increase problem gambling. The Minister has an opportunity to use the public health Bill to bring in measures —

The Member's time is up.

— to reduce the harm of gambling.

Question put and agreed to.

Resolved:

That this Assembly welcomes the publication of the all-party group (APG) on reducing harm related to gambling's report, 'Public Health Approaches to Tackling Gambling Related Harms'; agrees that gambling should be officially recognised as a public health issue in Northern Ireland; recognises that policies should incorporate population-based approaches that prioritise harm prevention, in line with the public health approach adopted for alcohol and tobacco; notes the urgent need to protect children and those already experiencing gambling harms from gambling-related marketing, which is currently both targeted and pervasive, particularly during sports broadcasts and on social media; calls on the Minister of Health to address the current unmet need within the healthcare system in Northern Ireland by commissioning statutory services specifically for gambling disorders; and further calls on all relevant Departments to ensure that the report's recommendations are carefully considered in the development of future policies aimed at preventing and mitigating gambling-related harms.

Members should take their ease before we move to the next item of business.

(Mr Deputy Speaker [Mr Blair] in the Chair)