Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions the (1) Secretary of State for Scotland, and (2) Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland have had with (a) South Ayrshire Council, (b) Scottish Borders Council, (c) East Lothian Council, (d) Perth and Kinross Council, and (e) South Lanarkshire Council, regarding their proposal to establish a remote betting and gaming duty and the potential impact on horseracing at the racetracks located in each local authority area.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

As part of the consultation process, the UK Government has engaged with a wide range of stakeholders and continues to work with representatives of horseracing to identify any potential unintended consequences for the sector, and how they might be mitigated.

The Government’s consultation on proposals to simplify the current gambling tax system by merging the three current taxes that cover remote (including online) gambling closed on 21 July 2025. Responses are now being analysed and a response to the consultation will be published at Budget 2025.  The consultation relates to the structure of gambling duties, and no decision has yet been made on rates. If any changes are made to gambling duties at Budget following the consultation, legislation will be accompanied by a Tax Information and Impact Note which will set out the expected impacts.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have conducted any economic analysis of the potential financial impact of their proposed remote betting and gaming duty in Scotland on (1) the horseracing industry, and (2) other businesses supported by horseracing.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

As part of the consultation process, the UK Government has engaged with a wide range of stakeholders and continues to work with representatives of horseracing to identify any potential unintended consequences for the sector, and how they might be mitigated.

The Government’s consultation on proposals to simplify the current gambling tax system by merging the three current taxes that cover remote (including online) gambling closed on 21 July 2025. Responses are now being analysed and a response to the consultation will be published at Budget 2025.  The consultation relates to the structure of gambling duties, and no decision has yet been made on rates. If any changes are made to gambling duties at Budget following the consultation, legislation will be accompanied by a Tax Information and Impact Note which will set out the expected impacts.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions the (1) Secretary of State for Scotland, and (2) Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland, have had with Scottish Racing about their proposals to establish a remote betting and gaming duty.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

As part of the consultation process, the UK Government has engaged with a wide range of stakeholders and continues to work with representatives of horseracing to identify any potential unintended consequences for the sector, and how they might be mitigated.

The Government’s consultation on proposals to simplify the current gambling tax system by merging the three current taxes that cover remote (including online) gambling closed on 21 July 2025. Responses are now being analysed and a response to the consultation will be published at Budget 2025.  The consultation relates to the structure of gambling duties, and no decision has yet been made on rates. If any changes are made to gambling duties at Budget following the consultation, legislation will be accompanied by a Tax Information and Impact Note which will set out the expected impacts.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Scottish Government regarding reported delays to the delivery of the Reaching 100% programme.

Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

UK Government has maintained regular engagement with the Scottish Government regarding the delivery of its Reaching 100% (R100) programme and continues to work closely with Scottish counterparts to monitor progress and support delivery.

As the contracting authority for R100 and previous superfast broadband contracts in Scotland, the Scottish Government is responsible for administering any penalties for delays under these contracts.

The UK Government has also managed contracts in Scotland under the Local Full Fibre Networks Programme and the Rural Gigabit Connectivity Programme. These contracts were delivered within agreed timescales.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what was the total cost of any penalties issued to Openreach for projects in Scotland in each year since 2016.

Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

UK Government has maintained regular engagement with the Scottish Government regarding the delivery of its Reaching 100% (R100) programme and continues to work closely with Scottish counterparts to monitor progress and support delivery.

As the contracting authority for R100 and previous superfast broadband contracts in Scotland, the Scottish Government is responsible for administering any penalties for delays under these contracts.

The UK Government has also managed contracts in Scotland under the Local Full Fibre Networks Programme and the Rural Gigabit Connectivity Programme. These contracts were delivered within agreed timescales.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Scottish Government has ever requested additional funding from them to assist with the delivery of the Reaching 100% programme.

Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Reaching 100% (R100) programme is funded primarily by the Scottish Government.

In the financial year 2016/2017, the UK Government provided £21 million from the earlier Superfast Broadband Programme to the Scottish Government to support superfast broadband coverage in Scotland. The Scottish Government used this funding to support the R100 procurements.

Following the inception of Project Gigabit in 2021, the UK Government has subsequently provided a further £31 million to support extensions in coverage and to enable delivery of gigabit-capable coverage (>1000Mbps) in place of superfast speeds (>=30Mbps).

This funding has supported the rollout of high-speed broadband to tens of thousands of premises across Scotland.