Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Emma Lewell-Buck and Helen Grant

Thursday 30th January 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck (South Shields) (Lab)]

T6. Violent attacks on betting shop workers are on the rise and single-staffing policies mean that many have minimal protection from harm. Yet in many shops operators have not installed protective screens for their staff until after an incident has occurred. Will the Minister look at requiring all betting shops to install screens for the safety and benefit of the staff?

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Mrs Helen Grant)]

Local authorities that are concerned about any betting shop can use their licensing conditions, which were used very successfully by Newham when it had concerns about crime, antisocial behaviour and under-age gambling. With regard to the number of staff in shops, licensing conditions can again be used.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Emma Lewell-Buck and Helen Grant

Thursday 12th December 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck (South Shields) (Lab)]

T6. In South Shields, more than £2.8 million has been lost on high stakes, fixed-odds betting terminals. Those machines allow players to gamble as much as £100 every 20 seconds and have already been banned by a number of countries. Will the Minister take action to tackle the damage that the machines do and back Labour’s call to limit the maximum stake on these machines to £2?

[Mrs Grant]

There is absolutely no green light for fixed-odds betting terminals. Their future will be kept under review pending further work, which has already started.