Vol. 399 No. 4
56 Mr. McCartan asked the Minister for Justice the number of cases of illegal gaming reported or detected in Dublin city and county in the past 12 months; if he will outline the progress which has been made by the Garda in stamping out illegal gaming; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The information sought by the Deputy is not available for Dublin city and county specifically but I am informed by the Garda authorities that in the period 1 April 1989 to 31 March 1990 11 detections of illegal gaming were made within the Garda Dublin Metropolitan Area. The DMA includes areas under the administrative control of Dublin Corporation, Dublin County Council, Dun Laoghaire Corporation and Bray Urban District Council but excludes Balbriggan and Skerries which are in Garda Louth-Meath Division.
Statistics in relation to reports of illegal gaming are not compiled separately and their compilation would require the allocation of scarce Garda resources to an extent which would not be justified.
Gaming halls are visited on a regular basis by the Garda as part of their continuing drive to enforce the law. In the areas where gaming is no longer permitted under the Gaming and Lotteries Act, 1956, the Garda monitor amusement halls and video games centres to ensure as far as possible that gaming does not take place.
The Garda authorities assure me that all allegations of illegal gaming which are brought to their attention are investigated thoroughly.
