Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent steps have been taken to (1) raise awareness of the risks, and (2) promote responsible practices, in relation to online gambling, particularly among vulnerable groups such as young people and individuals with mental health challenges.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
His Majesty’s Government recognises that, while millions of people gamble online without experiencing problems, for some it becomes an addiction with serious consequences. It is particularly important to take steps to protect vulnerable groups, including young people, from risks associated with online gambling.
In April the Department for Culture, Media and Sport published a White Paper following our review of the Gambling Act 2005. The White Paper outlined a series of measures to tackle practices and products which can drive harm and to ensure that people who are at risk of gambling harm and addiction are protected. These include new, frictionless financial risk checks, a stake limit for online slots games, improvements to customer-led tools, and tougher restrictions on bonuses and direct marketing. These measures will be complemented by strengthened informational messaging about the risks associated with gambling. The White Paper also contained a commitment to introduce a new statutory levy paid by operators to fund research, prevention, and treatment. In July the Gambling Commission also published a vulnerability statement, outlining its approach to identifying, supporting, and protecting consumers who are in vulnerable situations.
We are working with the Gambling Commission and others to bring the measures from the White Paper into force as quickly as possible, and have already published consultations on a number of important proposals so that we can finalise details ahead of their implementation.
Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the services available to address gambling addiction in the UK; and how they plan to further support those affected.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
His Majesty’s Government recognises that, while millions of people gamble without experiencing problems, for some it becomes an addiction with serious consequences. The Gambling White Paper, published in April this year, outlines a balanced and proportionate package of measures in response.
The White Paper committed to introducing a statutory levy charged to gambling operators to raise trusted, ring-fenced funding for research into, and the prevention and treatment of, gambling-related harms. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has since launched a public consultation on the structure, distribution, and governance of the levy, which closes on 14 December.
We propose that the levy provides sustainable funding for HM Government to develop a co-ordinated approach to prevention at local, regional, and national levels. It will provide investment for organisations, including in the third sector, for harm-prevention activities across Great Britain. This will facilitate more upstream interventions in the prevention of gambling-related harms, and will raise awareness of harms and support pathways.
In England, the NHS Long-term Plan committed to expanding the geographical coverage of NHS services in England for people with serious gambling problems through the creation of 15 specialist gambling clinics by 2023/24, with £15 million of funding over this same period. Twelve of the 15 planned clinics are now open, with representation across every part of England. The three remaining clinics – in Liverpool, Blackpool, and Sheffield – will open by the end of the year.
Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent steps they have taken to address the issue of problem online gambling; and what measures they plan to implement to protect vulnerable individuals online.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
His Majesty’s Government recognises that, while millions of people gamble online without experiencing problems, for some it becomes an addiction with serious consequences. It is particularly important to take steps to protect vulnerable people, including young people, from risks associated with problem online gambling.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport recently published a White Paper following our review of the Gambling Act 2005. This White Paper outlines a range of proportionate measures to tackle practices and products which can drive harm and ensure that people who are at risk of gambling harm and addiction are protected. These include new player protection checks, a stake limit for online slots games, improvements to consumer redress, and a statutory levy on operators to fund research, education and treatment.
We will work with the Gambling Commission and others to bring these measures into force at the earliest possible opportunity. Where further consultations are necessary, our aim is to publish them as quickly as possible.
Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent steps they have taken to promote the digital economy in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
In 2021, His Majesty’s Government and the Northern Ireland Executive signed the first ever City Deal for Northern Ireland. The Belfast Region City Deal unlocks £1 billion of transformative joint investment which will deliver more than 20 highly ambitious projects and programmes, create up to 20,000 new and better jobs, and help make the region a global centre of innovation.
Northern Ireland has 86% gigabit-capable coverage*, the best connectivity out of all the home nations of the UK, which will likely improve with the £5 billion investment in Project Gigabit. Additionally, our work with the Department for the Economy on Project Stratum has improved broadband connectivity for 50% of target premises as of September. The Northern Ireland Gigabit Open Market Review is scheduled to launch in early Autumn 2022.
BDUK has worked with the Department for Economy and the Local Authorities on Full Fibre Northern Ireland to deliver connectivity to over 887 buildings with investment of over £24 million from His Majesty’s Government. Connectivity upgrades to 199 buildings were achieved by Belfast City Council with a grant of £9.3 million.
His Majesty’s Government is committed to investing in the skills of people of Northern Ireland and promoting Northern Ireland’s potential as a leader in innovative technologies. The Cyber Explorers scheme supports 11–14 year-olds to boost their understanding and interest in a career in cyber. In addition, Cyber Runway provides business skills, product development, connections and mentoring to UK cyber companies at three stages of the business lifecycle: Launch, Grow and Scale. Cyber Runway is delivered in partnership with the Centre for Secure Information Technologies in Belfast and an event will be held in the city in November 2023 to support the local economy.
DCMS is supporting businesses across the UK through investment. The £12 million Digital Growth Grant will support companies across the UK to access finance and business advice through tailored growth programmes and events. In addition, the £2.6 billion UKSPF fund encourages areas across the UK to consider interventions to support and grow their local tech ecosystems.
The creative industries are also major players in the digital economy, with inward investment reaching nearly £1 billion in 2020. To help support these businesses, DCMS is providing nearly £50 million in support for the creative industries across the UK, including the £8 million UK Games Fund (UKGF) and £21 million UK Global Screen Fund that will promote investment in innovative creative businesses. The UKGF provides grant support to early-game stage games development companies across the UK, including in Northern Ireland.
Furthermore, the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s Creative Clusters Programme supports local businesses in the Northern Ireland screen sector to innovate and drive investment. It is called Future Screens Northern Ireland and is run by a consortium of higher education institutes, industry partners, and public organisations.
*(ThinkBroadband, August 2022)
Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the support from large technology companies for tackling online problem gambling.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government launched its Review of the Gambling Act 2005 on 8 December with the publication of a Call for Evidence. As part of the wide scope of that Review, we have called for evidence on the case for greater controls on the design of online gambling products, including pre-release testing.
We welcome steps taken by technology companies to support people who are experiencing problem gambling. This includes Google’s recently announced plans to allow its users to opt out of gambling advertising.
According to the 2016 Combined Health Survey, the rate of problem gambling among those who had gambled online during the past year was 3.5%. The 2018 Health Survey for England found a problem gambling rate of 4.2% among past-year online gamblers.
Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of levels of online problem gambling.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government launched its Review of the Gambling Act 2005 on 8 December with the publication of a Call for Evidence. As part of the wide scope of that Review, we have called for evidence on the case for greater controls on the design of online gambling products, including pre-release testing.
We welcome steps taken by technology companies to support people who are experiencing problem gambling. This includes Google’s recently announced plans to allow its users to opt out of gambling advertising.
According to the 2016 Combined Health Survey, the rate of problem gambling among those who had gambled online during the past year was 3.5%. The 2018 Health Survey for England found a problem gambling rate of 4.2% among past-year online gamblers.
Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the BBC about free television licences for people aged over 75.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government meets with the BBC on regular occasions to discuss a wide range of issues, including the over 75 concession. The Government has consistently made clear its disappointment with the BBC's decision to restrict the over 75 licence fee concession to only those in receipt of pension credit. We recognise the value of free TV licences for over-75s and believe they should be funded by the BBC.
The BBC remains responsible for the administration of the concession and it will be responsible for setting out what those affected will need to do. It must look urgently at how it can use its substantial licence fee income to support older people and deliver for UK audiences of all ages.
Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the BBC on its consultation on how licence fees for the over 75's should be paid for.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
The government meets regularly with the BBC to discuss a range of issues, including the over 75 licence fee concession. The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport most recently met with the BBC Chairman on 6 March 2019.