Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to support children growing up in households where an adult is experiencing problem gambling.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We recognise the impact harmful gambling can have on individuals and their families. The National Gambling Clinic (NGC) supports people aged 13 - 18 years old in England who are experiencing harm from gambling, and offers a Family and Friends service which provides support to those impacted by someone else’s difficulty with gambling.
As stated in the Government’s manifesto, we are committed to strengthening protections for those at risk. We will consider the best available evidence in future decisions regarding the fulfilment of that important commitment.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the findings of GambleAware's Annual GB Treatment and Support Survey 2023, published on 21 August.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is committed to using all the evidence available from a range of sources, including the GambleAware survey, to better understand the true picture of gambling behaviours and treatment in Great Britain.
We recognise the impact harmful gambling can have on individuals and their families and, as stated in the Government’s manifesto, we are committed to strengthening protections for those at risk. We will consider the best available evidence in future decisions regarding the fulfilment of that important commitment.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding in the report The State of the Arts, published by Campaign for the Arts and the University of Warwick on 22 July, that the UK has one of the lowest levels of government spending on arts and culture among European countries; and whether they intend to increase funding to local councils for local arts programmes.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Arts in the UK are funded by a mixture of direct national and local public funding, arm’s length funding, charitable giving, commercial income and tax reliefs but we recognise that all of these income streams have been under extreme pressure in recent years.
For instance, net expenditure on cultural services by local authorities - the largest funder of culture across England - has fallen by 42% in real terms between 2009-10 and 2022-23. Likewise, Arts Council England spent over £700 million in 2023/24 on supporting arts and culture, through a mix of grant-in-aid funding from government and proceeds from the National Lottery. But this was significantly less than in 2010.
We are grateful to the Campaign for the Arts for their work and are carefully examining the report. It is encouraging to read that 91% of adults in England engaged with the arts in person between October 2022 and December 2023, and 77% attended events, but concerning to read the report’s analysis that between 2018 and 2023 there was a 23% fall in the number of music, theatre, dance and comedy events in the UK.
The government will work with arm’s-length bodies and the cultural sector at large to understand their needs and the pressures on culture and creativity in the UK - and work to put them on a more sustainable footing.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether allowing the use of debit cards and digital payment wallets in land-based gambling venues will prevent (1) their closure, (2) a decline in revenue, or (3) job losses.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The use of debit cards and digital payment wallets is currently permitted for a range of gambling and non-gambling activities in land-based gambling venues in Great Britain. The Gaming Machines (Circumstances of Use) Regulations 2007 prohibit the direct use of debit cards on gaming machines. The full regulations can be seen here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2007/2319/contents/made
In our manifesto, we set out our intention to reduce gambling-related harm, strengthen protections for those at risk, and work with the industry to ensure responsible gambling. We are in the early stages of the new Government and are still considering the full range of gambling policy. We will consider the best available evidence from a wide range of sources to inform decisions on how best to fulfil our manifesto commitments.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the latest statistics released by the Gambling Commission, suggesting that gambling harms may be eight times higher than previously thought.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Gambling Commission’s formal guidance is clear about the inaccuracies of comparing the findings of the recent statistics released in the Gambling Survey for Great Britain with previous surveys. However, we recognise the impact harmful gambling can have on individuals and their families and, as stated in the Government’s manifesto, we are committed to strengthening the protections for those at risk. The Gambling Commission’s new survey helps to show the wider picture of gambling experiences across Great Britain. The Government will consider these findings alongside the evidence from a wide range of sources to inform decisions on how best to fulfil its manifesto commitment.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much revenue the Treasury received from fines and other compliance and enforcement costs from gambling operators in (1) 2019, (2) 2020, (3) 2021, (4) 2022, and (5) 2023.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
HM Treasury receives no revenue from gambling operator application fees, operator annual licence fees, and personal licence fees. Licence fees are set by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, and are collected and utilised by the Gambling Commission to cover the costs of regulation.
The Gambling Commission may impose financial penalties on gambling operators if a licence condition has been breached. The Treasury receives income from financial penalties imposed by the Gambling Commission on operators. The total amount received in each of the last five financial years is detailed below:
2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 |
£2.0m | £13.2m | £21.7m | £20.9m | £7.1m |
(Note: Due to reporting cycles, financial year is preferred to calendar year, with each period covering 1st April - 31st March).
In some circumstances, the Gambling Commission may agree a regulatory settlement in lieu of a financial penalty, which may include a financial element. Regulatory settlements are paid by an operator for socially responsible purposes and are not paid to the Exchequer. The Gambling Commission approves the destination of the financial element against set criteria. The destinations for regulatory settlements are published on the Gambling Commission’s website.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much revenue the Treasury received from gambling operator application fees, operator annual licence fees, and personal licence fees in (1) 2019, (2) 2020, (3) 2021, (4) 2022, and (5) 2023.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
HM Treasury receives no revenue from gambling operator application fees, operator annual licence fees, and personal licence fees. Licence fees are set by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, and are collected and utilised by the Gambling Commission to cover the costs of regulation.
The Gambling Commission may impose financial penalties on gambling operators if a licence condition has been breached. The Treasury receives income from financial penalties imposed by the Gambling Commission on operators. The total amount received in each of the last five financial years is detailed below:
2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 |
£2.0m | £13.2m | £21.7m | £20.9m | £7.1m |
(Note: Due to reporting cycles, financial year is preferred to calendar year, with each period covering 1st April - 31st March).
In some circumstances, the Gambling Commission may agree a regulatory settlement in lieu of a financial penalty, which may include a financial element. Regulatory settlements are paid by an operator for socially responsible purposes and are not paid to the Exchequer. The Gambling Commission approves the destination of the financial element against set criteria. The destinations for regulatory settlements are published on the Gambling Commission’s website.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the recovery of stolen artefacts from the British Museum; and what measures they are taking to increase security in this area.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
My department is closely monitoring the situation at the British Museum, and engaging directly with the Museum on this concerning issue.
The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has spoken with the Chairman of the British Museum about this issue on a number of occasions and has sought assurances on the immediate measures that have been put in place to increase security at the Museum. She has also sought assurances on the details of the scope and timetable for the independent review of security which the Museum has instigated, led by a former trustee, Nigel Boardman, and the Chief Constable of British Transport Police, Lucy D’Orsi. The review will also support efforts to recover all missing collection items.
The matter is also currently under investigation by the Economic Crime Command of the Metropolitan Police. The British Museum is working with the police to support their investigations.
My department and I will continue to work closely with the British Museum – and the wider museums sector – to ensure that lessons are learned from this incident once the independent review is complete.
Further details on this matter have been set out in the Written Statements which the Secretary of State and I made to Parliament on 4 September 2023 (HCWS994 and HLWS979).
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of a national self-exclusion register for problem gamblers.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Gambling businesses are required to have their own self-exclusion arrangements in place so customers can self-exclude from individual operators. They are also required to participate in Multi-Operator Self-Exclusion Schemes, which allow a customer to make a single request to self-exclude from a licensed gambling sector, either nationally or on a local basis. Further information about each of the schemes can be found on the Commission’s website. Nearly 400,000 consumers have used GAMSTOP to self-exclude from all online gambling licensed by the Commission.
The Commission works closely with the schemes, including hosting a regular Self-Exclusion Scheme Owners Group meeting which is chaired by GAMSTOP. The group works together to improve effectiveness and is currently working on making it easier for consumers to access information and self-exclude across sectors in one place.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote research on the types and extent of financial harms experienced by people who gamble.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
While millions of people gamble without experiencing problems, for some it becomes an addiction with serious consequences. His Majesty’s Government recognises the importance of continuing to collect data, evidence, and research into the types of harms experienced by problem gamblers.
The Gambling Commission is undertaking a project to improve the way it collects data on adult gambling participation and the incidence, nature, and severity of harm experienced as a result of gambling, whether one’s own or someone else’s. This will inform the new Gambling Survey for Great Britain, which the Commission aims to launch this year. This will support future research and provide decision-makers with a strong evidence base.
The Government will introduce a statutory levy, part of which will be dedicated to funding research to help improve the evidence base on gambling. A consultation on the levy will be published later this summer.
Our Gambling Act review White Paper also committed to working with UK Research & Innovation to stimulate interest in gambling as a research field among researchers across a range of academic disciplines.