Written Statements

Friday 23rd February 2024 Written Statements

Friday 23 February 2024

Online Slots Consultation: Government Response

Friday 23rd February 2024 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Stuart Andrew)]

I wish to inform the House that His Majesty’s Government have today published their response to the consultation on proposals for a maximum stake limit for online slots games.

Online slots games can be associated with large losses, long sessions, and binge play, posing a higher risk of gambling harm. However, unlike land-based gaming machines that offer broadly similar games, they have no statutory stake limits. The Gambling Act review White Paper, published last April, committed to addressing the risk posed to players by these theoretically limitless online slots stakes. This is in line with the Government’s objectives of protecting people from gambling-related harm, levelling the regulatory playing field between offline and online gambling, and more broadly bringing our gambling regulation into the smartphone era.

The consultation ran from 26 July to 4 October and invited views on a stake limit for online slots games of £2, £5, £10 or £15 per spin. It also outlined options for additional protections for those aged 18 to 24 through a £2 limit, a £4 limit, or specific protections on a case-by-case basis.

Following consultation, the Government will introduce a statutory maximum stake limit of £5 per spin. We will also introduce a statutory maximum limit of £2 per spin for young adults aged 18 to 24, who the evidence suggests can be particularly vulnerable to harms associated with high stakes play.

We believe these limits are proportionate and will achieve the Government’s stated objectives of reducing the risk of gambling-related harm while minimising the risk of unintended consequences and disruption for the vast majority of gamblers who do not suffer harm. Importantly, these changes bring online slots games in line with existing restrictions on slot machines in casinos. These limits are also aligned with the recommendation made by the Culture, Media and Sport Committee’s second report into gambling regulation, published in December 2023.

Our intention is that the imposed limits should serve as a maximum stake which customers can choose to stake up to, rather than as a new default which operators drive customers towards, or which is otherwise seen as objectively “safe”. We will continue to monitor the evidence base and there will be future opportunities to review and, if necessary, adjust the limits.

Stake limits will also build on existing protections and controls for those who gamble through online slots games and will work alongside other measures outlined in the gambling White Paper, including frictionless financial risk checks, data sharing on high-risk customers, and making online games safer by design.

The limits will come into force in September this year, once we have laid the necessary legislation. The White Paper package also contained proposals that will support the land-based gambling industry and the introduction of a statutory levy for research, prevention and treatment. The consultations for these measures have now closed and we will publish our response to them in the coming months.

I will deposit a copy of the consultation in the Library of both Houses.

[HCWS285]

Pollack in Western Waters

Friday 23rd February 2024 Written Statements

[The Minister for Food, Farming and Fisheries (Mark Spencer)]

Background

The UK, as an independent coastal state, participates in bilateral, trilateral and multilateral fisheries negotiations. In these negotiations, the UK strives to improve the sustainable management of fisheries and support our fishing industry in line with the objectives of the Fisheries Act 2020.

As a result of quota share uplifts agreed in the trade and co-operation agreement, the UK has approximately 120,000 tonnes more quota from the 2024 negotiations than it would have received as an EU member state. We have so far secured £970 million-worth of fishing opportunities for 2024, an increase from £900 million in 2023.

In June 2023, the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas provided advice that, for the first time, the total allowable catch for pollack in western waters for 2024 should be set at zero. DEFRA negotiated a UK-EU bycatch TAC of 832 tonnes to avoid “choking” other healthy fisheries in the south-west, where pollack is a bycatch. This would not, however, allow vessels to target pollack.

Throughout this process, we have engaged closely with industry representatives and have understood that, even with a bycatch TAC, this would pose difficulties for fishers who have predominantly targeted pollack. My Department has been working to find ways to assist and support those most affected with the long-term sustainability of the fishery in mind.

We want to see the long-term recovery of this pollack fishery and believe the measures set out below will help support the sector through this time, securing a vibrant and prosperous seafood sector that supports thriving coastal communities.

Re-opening of the fisheries and seafood scheme

I am pleased to announce that the fisheries and seafood scheme, England’s domestic grant scheme, is open again as of 23 February 2024. The scheme supports a variety of measures including support for setting up new practices or processes for new income streams, training and skills development to support business diversification, and the creation of partnerships so local stakeholders can participate in co-design and management. It will provide up to £6 million in grant funding for the fishing industry this year. Applications from all fishers are encouraged but to assist those most impacted by the zero TAC for pollack, applications from those affected fishers will be expedited, bringing the application processing time down from eight weeks to four. This will mean we will be able get support to those most affected more quickly.

Launch of a new scientific study and long-term sustainability of the stock

ICES advice suggests that the issues facing pollack are highly likely to last multiple years. We are working nationally and with the EU in the Specialised Committee on Fisheries to help improve the scientific assessment of pollack and the long-term sustainability of the stock.

For example, the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science is leading a scientific study, based on collaborative research between fishers and scientists, following an approach used in the fisheries industry science partnership scheme. Fishers will be engaged in the project to collect genetic samples from around 3,000 pollack. These fishers will receive payment for their initial training, payment for catching the fish required for the study and would be able to sell the pollack they caught as part of the study. The study aims to understand more about the abundance and stock structure of pollack. Not only will this help us understand the stock better; it will also help us to improve the scientific assessment of pollack, as we are committed to doing with the EU through the SCF. Applications, along with detailed eligibility criteria, will be open as soon as possible for the most affected pollack fishers to apply to the study.

Our work also involves improving our understanding of the recreational fishery, with a view to the introduction of limits where appropriate and where these are likely to be effective in reducing pressure on the stock.

We will continue to work together with industry on this and any potential future management options towards the recovery of the stock. We are also looking at the future management of this stock through our fisheries management plans, specifically the Celtic sea and western channel demersal plans, to be published towards the end of 2025.

[HCWS288]

Israel and Gaza

Friday 23rd February 2024 Written Statements

[The Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Mr Andrew Mitchell)]

The Government support Israel’s right to self-defence, in compliance with international humanitarian law, against the horrific terror attacks perpetrated by Hamas on 7 October 2023. We condemn the slaughter, abuse and gender-based violence perpetrated on 7 October 2023, Hamas’s use of civilian areas, their continued failure to release hostages and their ongoing launching of attacks into Israel.

We are working to end the fighting in Gaza, to stop the further loss of civilian lives and create the conditions for a permanent peace. The most effective way to end the fighting in Gaza is to agree an immediate humanitarian pause, which we have consistently called for. This would allow for the safe release of hostages and a significant increase in the aid going to Gaza. Crucially, it would also provide a vital opportunity to establish the conditions for a genuinely long-term and sustainable ceasefire, without a return to destruction, fighting and loss of life.

That is a position shared by our close partners, and what our diplomatic efforts are focused on. We have set out the vital elements for a lasting peace, namely:



the immediate release of all hostages;

removing Hamas’s capacity to launch attacks against Israel;

Hamas no longer being in charge of Gaza;

the formation of a new Palestinian Government for the west bank and Gaza, accompanied by an international support package;

and, a political horizon which provides a credible and irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution.

We are increasingly concerned about the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and recognise the urgent need to significantly scale up the flow of aid getting in. All parties must take immediate steps to ensure unhindered humanitarian access, ease restrictions on humanitarian supplies and ensure the UN and aid agencies can reach civilians in need throughout Gaza.

The UK is stepping up support. We have tripled our aid commitment. In the last week, family tents provided by the UK and Qatar have arrived in Rafah, and on Wednesday the UK and Jordan air-dropped lifesaving aid to a hospital in northern Gaza, providing four tonnes of vital supplies including medicines and food for hospital patients and staff.

We remain deeply concerned at the number of civilian casualties to date, and at the prospect of an Israeli military offensive into Rafah. Over half of Gaza’s population are sheltering in the area, and the Rafah crossing is vital to ensuring aid can reach the people who so desperately need it. We continue to urge Israel to limit its operations to military targets and avoid harming citizens.

Ultimately, a two-state solution is the best way to ensure safety and security for both Israelis and Palestinians. Our long-standing position remains that we will recognise a Palestinian state at a time that is most conducive to the peace process.

The Palestinian authority has an important long-term role to play and will need continued support from us and our partners, but it must also take concrete steps on reform. We remain concerned about the situation in the west bank, and have taken action in response to extremist settler violence.

We are committed to finding a lasting resolution to this conflict that ensures Israelis and Palestinians can live in the future with dignity and security. It is the aim of the Government to see an end to the fighting as soon as possible and the creation of a permanent peace based on a new political horizon for the region.

[HCWS289]

Correction to Written Parliamentary Questions

Friday 23rd February 2024 Written Statements

[The Minister for Health and Secondary Care (Andrew Stephenson)]

I wish to draw the attention of the House to data errors in the Government response to two parliamentary questions—numbers 332 and 12694—tabled by the hon. Member for Ilford North (Wes Streeting). The questions enquired as to the costs paid by the national health service for the outsourcing of teleradiology in the last five years. The data provided by NHS England to the Department for Health and Social Care was incorrect. Therefore, the PQ response underreported the number of scans provided in the requested timeframe. NHS England has been asked by my right hon. Friend the Member for Louth and Horncastle (Victoria Atkins) to urgently conduct a full audit of the quality of the data. Once NHSE has completed the audit, and I am satisfied that the data is sufficiently robust, the House will be updated.

[HCWS286]

United Kingdom and Frontex: Working Arrangement

Friday 23rd February 2024 Written Statements

[The Minister for Countering Illegal Migration (Michael Tomlinson)]

I am pleased to announce that a landmark working arrangement between the UK and Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, is being launched today.

The working arrangement is a non-legally binding arrangement that provides a long-term framework for mutually beneficial co-operation with Frontex across a range of operational areas to tackle illegal migration and cross-border crime. A working arrangement is the standard means for non-EU countries to co-operate with Frontex, and various other third countries have similar arrangements, including the USA, Canada, Albania and Ukraine.

Our aim is to work with Frontex through this arrangement to enhance our respective and joint operational responses to illegal migration and cross-border crime, making the UK’s and EU’s borders safer and more secure. This is another step in our co-operation with European partners to tackle illegal migration into and across Europe.

The working arrangement includes provision for co-operation on:

information and intelligence exchange, situational awareness and risk analysis, including through the framework of EUROSUR (the European Border Surveillance System);

training and capacity building;

co-operation on research and innovation projects;

technical and operational co-operation, including the deployment of UK and Frontex staff in observation, advisory, or co-ordination capacities;

sharing best practice and expertise, including on border management;

and exchange of liaison officers.

This follows the previous announcement regarding the opening of discussions on a working arrangement by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the President of the European Commission at the Council of Europe summit in May 2023.

We intend to begin co-operation under this working arrangement as soon as possible, with an initial focus on sharing knowledge, expertise, and information on mutual priorities. Over the coming months, the Home Office will build on this by agreeing detailed co-operation and operational plans with Frontex to support further collaboration. We will announce more detail in due course.

Organised immigration crime and people smuggling are global challenges that require shared solutions and ambitions. Signing the working arrangement underscores our shared commitment to tackling illegal migration and organised immigration crime, be it in the channel, along the EU’s external border, or further upstream.

The working arrangement and an accompanying explanatory memorandum will be placed in the Library of both Houses and both documents will also be published on gov.uk.

[HCWS287]