Asked by: Lord Lipsey (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what risk assessment they carried out before parliamentarians were classified as politically exposed persons for the purpose of holding a betting account.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Money Laundering Regulations 2017 require firms in regulated sectors, including those regulated by the Gambling Commission, to obtain and verify certain information about their customers. Firms must have in place appropriate risk management systems and procedures to determine whether a customer is a Politically Exposed Person (PEP), or a family member or known close associate of a PEP. This is in line with the international standards set by the Financial Action Task Force.
Original measures on PEPs were put into UK law via the transposition of the European Union’s fourth money laundering directive in June 2017, as was the legal requirement at the time. There was therefore no risk assessment undertaken specifically by the UK but the impact assessment from this process can be found here. The Financial Action Task Force is the international standard-setter in anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing, and its guidance on PEPs can be found here.
HM Treasury is currently undertaking a review of the 2017 Regulations. As part of this review, the proportionality of current requirements regarding domestic PEPs is being considered and balanced alongside the risks posed to the UK’s financial system, and our international obligations to mitigate these risks. The Review will be published this summer.
Asked by: Lord Lipsey (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the rejection by both Houses of the draft Legislative Reform (Horserace Betting Levy) Order 2018; and what plans they have to revise their guidance to officials on the use of Legislative Reform Orders.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
In April 2017, we made significant reforms to the Horserace Betting Levy by fixing the Levy rate at 10% and extending the scope of the Levy to include offshore online bookmakers for the first time. These reforms resulted in an extra £45m in statutory Levy income for 2017/18 to support the racing industry and we expect a similar uplift for 2018/19.
The uplift in income from the reformed Levy has contributed to record prize money of £142.5m in 2017/18 and has also provided increased funding for equine welfare, industry recruitment and training, and measures related to veterinary science and education.
We note the Parliamentary Scrutiny committees’ reports regarding proposed changes to the administration of the reformed Levy and will consider them carefully.
Asked by: Lord Lipsey (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the calculations used in Box 8 of the <i>BBC Charter Review public consultation</i>, what is the cost per viewer hour of S4C.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
According to S4C's Annual Report & Statement of Accounts 2014/15, the cost per user hour is £1.54
Asked by: Lord Lipsey (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the current status of their consultation on the reform of the Horserace Betting Levy in the light of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Autumn Statement announcement of the introduction of a racing right.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
As a result of our analysis of the responses to the two consultations it is clear that more detail is required as to how a replacement for the Levy would work. In order to enable a fair comparison between reform and replacement we will work up the “racing right” proposal and engage constructively with stakeholders so that a fully informed decision can be made. We will consult early in the New Year.
Asked by: Lord Lipsey (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to publish the results of their consultation "Media ownership and plurality", launched in July 2013.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
We plan to publish the Government's response to the consultation on media plurality in due course.
Asked by: Lord Lipsey (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 3 July (WA 281), on what grounds they believe that the Horserace Betting Levy, as a state aid which predates the United Kingdom's accession to the European Union, is therefore compatible with the United Kingdom's obligations under European Union law and state aid rules.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Horserace Betting Levy is a State Aid pursuant to Article 107 TFEU. As a permissible pre-accession measure, it does not need to be notified to the European Commission for as long as it remains unaltered. There has been no major change to the Levy since 1963 so it retains its pre-accession status. It is for this reason that we believe the Levy is compatible with the United Kingdom's obligations under European Union (EU) law and state aid rules. Any major change to the Levy, such as extending it to offshore remote betting operators, would constitute a substantive alteration to the existing scheme meaning that Government would have to notify the European Commission (EC). The Commission would then take a view as to the changed Levy's compatibility with Article 107 TFEU.
Asked by: Lord Lipsey (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government on what grounds they consider that the Horseracing Betting Levy is compatible with articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Horserace Betting Levy is an existing state aid which predates the UK's accession to the EU. It is on that ground that the Government considers the Levy to be compatible with the UK's obligations under European Union law and state aid rules.