Written Statements

Wednesday 27th November 2024 Written Statements

Wednesday 27 November 2024

Statutory Gambling Levy and Online Slots Stake Limit

Wednesday 27th November 2024 Written Statements

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

I am repeating the following written ministerial statement made today in the other place by my noble Friend the Minister for Gambling, Baroness Twycross:

I wish to inform the House that His Majesty’s Government have today published their response to the public consultation entitled “Consultation on the structure, distribution and governance of the statutory levy on gambling operators”.

The current funding system for research, prevention and treatment of gambling-related harms reliant on voluntary donations from industry is no longer fit for purpose. While the industry’s significant uplift in the level of donations in recent years is welcome, we recognise that the quantum of funding is not the only requirement for an effective and equitable system.

That is why we are taking the decision to introduce a statutory levy as a priority, in line with our manifesto commitment to reduce gambling harms. The levy will be paid by operators and collected and administered by the Gambling Commission under the strategic direction of the Government. Today’s publication represents a significant change to funding and commissioning arrangements. It will deliver increased and trusted investment directed where it is needed most. This will further strengthen the evidence base to inform policy, and build an effective prevention and treatment system across the country. We want the public to be better aware of the risks of gambling, and for anyone suffering from gambling harms to access timely and effective support when and where they need it.

The Government will implement the statutory levy as follows:

The structure of the levy

The levy will be charged at a set rate for all holders of a Gambling Commission operating licence, depending on the sector. In recognition of the higher rates of problem gambling associated with products online compared to most land-based products, as well as the higher operating costs in the land-based sector, the levy will see online operators pay more towards research, prevention and treatment. The levy will be introduced via secondary legislation and ensure critical funding is flowing to priority projects and services in the next financial year.

We have had clear commitments from industry that operators will maintain their voluntary financial contributions to research, prevention and treatment under the current regime, especially to support the National Gambling Support Network, until the levy is in force. This consultation response should provide sufficient notice to licensees of our approach and ultimately delivers simplicity for all parts of the new system.

The distribution of the levy

The levy will be collected by the Gambling Commission, as above. To maximise the input of world-leading expertise and authority across our public bodies in the future system, the Gambling Commission will allocate funding to a commissioning lead for each of the research, prevention and treatment pillars:

Research will be allocated 20% of levy funding, and will be overseen by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to deliver a bespoke Research Programme on Gambling, and to the Gambling Commission to direct further research in line with the licensing objectives;

Prevention will be allocated 30% of levy funding to develop a comprehensive approach to prevention and early intervention with the lead organisation as yet to be decided. However, further consideration of the evidence is needed in order to appoint a lead commissioning body in this crucial and novel area for the Government’s approach to tackling gambling-related harm.

Treatment will be allocated 50% of levy funding and be overseen by NHS England, and appropriate bodies in Scotland and Wales, to commission the full treatment pathway, from referral and triage through to aftercare.

I recognise that many of those interested in this area have been expecting the Government’s final decisions on all aspects of the design of the future levy system, especially regarding prevention on which we consulted broadly. Ultimately, prevention is a crucial part of the Government’s efforts to further reduce gambling-related harm and it is important we take the time to get this right.

However, the statutory instrument introducing the levy is silent on the distribution of levy funding, and our overriding priority is to meet our commitment to having the levy in place by the summer.

That is why we are seeking to publish this initial response and progress the legislative process. We will continue to work at pace to finalise our decisions on prevention soon. Our aim is to publish a further response document in the coming months and I will update the House in due course.

The governance of the levy

A Gambling Levy Programme Board will be established to be the central oversight mechanism for the Government. This will bring together key Government Departments, including the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, HM Treasury, the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. It will also include representatives from the Scottish and Welsh Governments to ensure the levy is making an impact on the ground.

Alongside the board, a Gambling Levy Advisory Group will be established to provide expert advice on funding priorities and emerging issues in support of commissioning bodies’ efforts to deliver on the Government’s objectives. We will conduct a formal review of the levy system within five years, where the structure and health of the levy system will be assessed and adjustments can be made to ensure we are achieving our aims.

Policy impact

While we expect the statutory levy will have some financial impact on gambling operators, we think these are necessary and proportionate. The levy will increase the independence of spending and Government oversight regarding commissioning decisions. It will play an important part in the Government’s wider aim to have a better informed and protected public when it comes to gambling-related harms. This investment will also ensure the Government and the Gambling Commission have the robust evidence needed to strike the right balance between freedom and protection as new challenges arise.

The publication today is further evidence of the Government’s continued commitment to tackling gambling-related harm. We want to ensure that people across our country can access trusted and quality information, support and treatment when it comes to gambling-related harms. We believe that the introduction of the statutory levy is a crucial step in meeting these aims. I will place a copy of the response to the consultation in the Libraries of both Houses.

Stake limits for online slots

Online slots are a higher-risk gambling product, associated with large losses, long sessions, and binge play. However, unlike land-based gaming machines which offer broadly similar games, they have no statutory stake limits. The Gambling Act Review White Paper, published on 27 April 2023 under the previous Government, committed to addressing the risk posed to players by these theoretically limitless online slots stakes. I wish to inform the House that His Majesty’s Government intend to proceed with the introduction of stake limits for online slots through a statutory instrument.

A consultation was run from 26 July to 4 October 2023 that 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. Ministers have considered the consultation and available evidence and the Government have decided to introduce stake limits of £5 per spin for adults aged 25 and over. We will also introduce a statutory maximum limit of £2 per spin for young adults aged 18 to 24 years old, whom the evidence suggests can be particularly vulnerable to harms associated with high stakes play.

These stake limits will be subject to an implementation period. This means that, following debates in Parliament, operators will have six weeks from the day the statutory instrument is made by the Minister to implement the £5 limit and a further six weeks to implement the £2 limit.

The introduction of these stake limits is proportionate and is a key step in achieving the Government’s objective of reducing gambling-related harms. Importantly, these changes bring online slot 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 of Session 2023-24, “Gambling regulation”, published in December 2023.

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Breakfast Club Early Adopters

Wednesday 27th November 2024 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Stephen Morgan)]

This Government believe that every child deserves access to a brilliant education, including the opportunity to have a supportive start to the school day. That is why the Government made a manifesto commitment to introduce free breakfast clubs for primary school children, breaking down barriers to opportunity and setting every child up to achieve.

As a first step towards this commitment, from today, schools can apply to become one of up to 750 early adopter schools, providing free breakfast clubs from April 2025, as part of a test-and-learn phase. These schools will be funded to provide access to a free, universal breakfast club lasting at least 30 minutes that includes food. New breakfast clubs, once rolled out nationally, will be available to every state-funded school with primary aged children.

Breakfast clubs help make sure that children are ready to start the school day. They support children’s attendance and attainment. Breakfast clubs offer much more than just food; they can serve as a welcoming space for children, providing valuable opportunities for them to play, learn, and socialise at the beginning of the school day. Breakfast clubs also give families more choices in childcare and support with the cost of living. We want every school, every child, and every family to benefit, which is why the Chancellor tripled the investment in breakfast clubs in the autumn 2024 Budget to over £30 million in the 2025-26 financial year.

Full details on the early adopter scheme, including how schools can apply to take part, will be available on gov.uk.

[HCWS256]

Epigenetics

Wednesday 27th November 2024 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Andrew Gwynne)]

My noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Patient Safety, Women’s Health and Mental Health (Baroness Merron) has made the following written statement:

Today I am announcing the launch of a new research collaboration between the Government, UK Biobank and Oxford Nanopore Technologies. The new generation of nanopore-based molecular sensing technology created by this leading UK-headquartered, life science company will be used to conduct detailed genetic sequencing of 50,000 samples in the UK Biobank, the UK’s primary biomedical database.

This represents a significant expansion of Oxford Nanopore’s collaboration with UK Biobank which started with a 5,000-genome pilot. This new collaboration will create the world’s first comprehensive dataset of epigenetic modifications in the human genome and demonstrate the UK’s continued leadership in the field of genetics. Further exploration of epigenetics—the emerging study of how DNA and its expression is affected by modifications that do not change the underlying DNA sequence—could unlock a deeper understanding of the causes of diseases such as cancer and neurological conditions. This could pave the way for new diagnostic and targeted treatments, improving patient care and giving hope to the millions of people who live with conditions like these.

This expansion of the epigenetics programme is an early example of collaboration between Oxford Nanopore and HMG, building on the plans to form a strategic partnership announced on 5 November. I will provide further updates to the House on this collaboration as it develops.

[HCWS257]

Domestic Abuse Protection Notices and Orders

Wednesday 27th November 2024 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Jess Phillips)]

The Under-Secretary of State for Justice, my hon. Friend the Member for Pontypridd (Alex Davies-Jones) and I are today pleased to announce the launch of a pilot for the new domestic abuse protection notice (DAPN) and domestic abuse protection order (DAPO). DAPNs and DAPOs will be launching in Greater Manchester Police, three London boroughs with the Metropolitan Police Service—Croydon, Bromley and Sutton—and the British Transport Police. A further two sites, North Wales Police and Cleveland Police, will be onboarded in early 2025.

The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 legislated for the new DAPN and DAPO with the aim to bring together the strongest elements of the existing protective order regime into a single, comprehensive, flexible order.

The roll-out of these new protections is a key part of the Government’s safer streets mission and the unprecedented aim to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in a decade. Domestic abuse is the most prevalent form of VAWG, with 2.2 million people estimated to have experienced domestic abuse in the year ending June 2024 ^[1]. Taking action to tackle domestic abuse and improve the justice system response to this abhorrent abuse is therefore central to achieving this Government’s ambition. The previous Government failed to roll out these new protections.

The new DAPN and DAPO will provide protection from all forms of domestic abuse, including controlling or coercive behaviour and will give the police and courts powers to impose tougher restrictions on perpetrators of domestic abuse, including mandatory notification requirements, attendance at a behaviour change programme and electronic monitoring. Breach of any requirement imposed by the DAPO will be a criminal offence punishable by up to five years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both. The DAPO will also be the first cross-jurisdictional order available in the family, civil and criminal courts meaning police, victims and third parties can apply.

In accordance with section 50 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, I am publishing police statutory guidance on DAPNs and DAPOs and the consultation response. A public consultation was undertaken for eight weeks in February 2024 on the draft statutory guidance and this updated statutory guidance reflects the feedback from the consultation. The guidance aims to provide police forces with information to support the effective use of DAPNs and DAPOs. These will be published on www.gov.uk today.

We would like to thank all the partners who have worked so hard to reach this point. This is an important step in strengthening the police and criminal justice response to domestic abuse and keeping victims safe.

^[1] Crime Survey for England and Wales, respondents aged over 16 in England and Wales.

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Veterans’ Access to Social Housing

Wednesday 27th November 2024 Written Statements

[The Minister for Housing and Planning (Matthew Pennycook)]

As we set out in our manifesto and the Prime Minister reiterated in his conference speech on 24 September, this Government are committed to supporting our armed forces communities and ensuring veterans have access to the housing support they need.

To honour that commitment and facilitate access to social housing for veterans, I am today laying regulations to exempt all former members of the regular armed forces from any local connection tests for social housing applied by local councils in England.

Having a connection to an area should not be a barrier to housing for those who put their lives on the line for our country.

The regulations laid today will ensure that no veteran of the regular armed forces will need to meet a local connection test for social housing regardless of when they last served.

The Deputy Prime Minister has already written to local councils to remind them of the guidance and flexibilities to facilitate access of veterans to social housing.

Statutory guidance will be updated to reflect these changes. This includes specific guidance on improving access to social housing for members of the armed forces with examples of ways in which councils can ensure that service personnel and their families are given appropriate priority for social housing. We know that councils use the flexibilities available to them, but we must ensure that no veteran is unfairly penalised.

In addition to these measures, the Government have committed a further £3.5 million to the reducing veteran homelessness programme. This includes Op FORTITUDE, the single referral pathway for veterans at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness.

We will continue to work with the sector to deliver affordable homes to meet the needs of veterans as part of our broader commitment to deliver the biggest increase in social and affordable house building in a generation, and in the development of our long-term housing strategy.

Veterans represent the very best of our country. The Government are committed to honouring their sacrifices and ensuring homes will be there for heroes across the UK.

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