Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of gambling advertising on (a) gambling-related harms and (b) levels of (i) at-risk and (ii) problem gambling in young people.

Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

In our approach to gambling advertising, we have struck a balanced and evidence-led approach which tackles aggressive advertising that is most likely to appeal to children, while recognising that advertising is an entirely legitimate commercial practice for responsible gambling firms.

In April last year, HM Government published a White Paper on gambling which outlined a comprehensive package of reforms to make gambling safer following an exhaustive assessment of the evidence, including on gambling advertising. We concluded that further action on advertising was needed, which is why we and the Gambling Commission are introducing measures to tackle the most aggressive and harmful advertising practices by preventing bonuses being constructed and targeted in harmful ways, giving customers more control over the marketing they receive, and introducing messaging about the risks associated with gambling.

This supplements the already robust rules in place to ensure that gambling advertising is socially responsible and that it cannot be targeted at or strongly appeal to children. This includes specific licence conditions for operators, including the requirement to abide by the UK Advertising Codes, which further regulate how gambling operators advertise. The UK Advertising Codes were strengthened in 2022, with new protections for children and vulnerable adults.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the cross-sport Code of Conduct is (a) robust and (b) workable in practice; and what lessons she has learnt from the application of CAP code 2.1 for regulation of breaches of the Code.

Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

All domestic sports governing bodies have agreed to four core principles underpinning the cross-sport Code of Conduct on gambling sponsorship: (i) protecting children and young people (ii) socially responsible promotion (iii) reinvestment into sport (iv) maintaining sporting integrity. These principles put in place a robust minimum standard for sponsorship across all sports. Through the code, a proportion of in-stadia advertising will be dedicated to safer gambling messaging, and replica kits for adults will be made available without gambling logos, alongside the existing requirements for childrens’ replica kits.

Sports governing bodies must have sufficient flexibility to implement these principles in a way which maximises impact for the sports and their fans. Bespoke, sport-specific Codes are currently being designed by individual sports governing bodies, and will be implemented in due course. The Premier League and English Football League plan to have their Codes in place by next season. DCMS will continue to work closely with sports on their implementation and enforcement practices.

As a licence condition, gambling operators must comply with the restrictions set out in the Advertising Codes, which includes robust rules under section 2 regulating the recognition of marketing communications. Under these rules, marketing communications must be obviously identifiable as such and make clear their commercial intent, if that is not obvious from the context. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) can and does take action against breaches, and a recent ruling can be found here. Operators are liable to enforcement action from the Gambling Commission if affiliates which they pay to carry out marketing activities do not comply with the rules.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he has taken to investigate (a) Bank Saderat PLC, (b) Melli Bank PLC and (c) other Iranian financial institutions based in the UK with links to the Iranian Government.

Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) is the authority responsible for implementing and enforcing the UK’s financial sanctions on behalf of HM Treasury.

On 14 December 2023, the UK announced a new sanctions regime that gives the UK extensive new powers to disrupt and deter Iran’s hostile activities in the UK and around the world. This has been developed to respond to unprecedented threats from the Iranian regime, including efforts to undermine peace and security across the Middle East and plots to kill individuals on UK soil. Overall, the UK has designated over 400 Iranian individuals and entities including in relation to Iran’s destabilising regional activity, human rights abuses, and nuclear proliferation.

OFSI assesses every instance of reported non-compliance and will act in all cases where we conclude a breach has occurred. OFSI does not comment on specific cases.

Non-compliance with UK sanctions is a serious offence and punishable through disclosures, large financial penalties, or criminal prosecution. Departments from across HMG including FCDO, HMT, OFSI, HMRC, HO, and the NCA, are working together, and with UK companies, to ensure that sanctions are enforced.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he plans to take to hold to account UK-based (a) entities and (b) people continuing to deal with the (i) Iranian Government and (ii) IRGC in breach of UK sanctions.

Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) is the authority responsible for implementing and enforcing the UK’s financial sanctions on behalf of HM Treasury.

On 14 December 2023, the UK announced a new sanctions regime that gives the UK extensive new powers to disrupt and deter Iran’s hostile activities in the UK and around the world. This has been developed to respond to unprecedented threats from the Iranian regime, including efforts to undermine peace and security across the Middle East and plots to kill individuals on UK soil. Overall, the UK has designated over 400 Iranian individuals and entities including in relation to Iran’s destabilising regional activity, human rights abuses, and nuclear proliferation.

OFSI assesses every instance of reported non-compliance and will act in all cases where we conclude a breach has occurred. OFSI does not comment on specific cases.

Non-compliance with UK sanctions is a serious offence and punishable through disclosures, large financial penalties, or criminal prosecution. Departments from across HMG including FCDO, HMT, OFSI, HMRC, HO, and the NCA, are working together, and with UK companies, to ensure that sanctions are enforced.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that UK financial institutions comply with UK sanctions against Iran.

Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) is the authority responsible for implementing and enforcing the UK’s financial sanctions on behalf of HM Treasury.

On 14 December 2023, the UK announced a new sanctions regime that gives the UK extensive new powers to disrupt and deter Iran’s hostile activities in the UK and around the world. This has been developed to respond to unprecedented threats from the Iranian regime, including efforts to undermine peace and security across the Middle East and plots to kill individuals on UK soil. Overall, the UK has designated over 400 Iranian individuals and entities including in relation to Iran’s destabilising regional activity, human rights abuses, and nuclear proliferation.

OFSI assesses every instance of reported non-compliance and will act in all cases where we conclude a breach has occurred. OFSI does not comment on specific cases.

Non-compliance with UK sanctions is a serious offence and punishable through disclosures, large financial penalties, or criminal prosecution. Departments from across HMG including FCDO, HMT, OFSI, HMRC, HO, and the NCA, are working together, and with UK companies, to ensure that sanctions are enforced.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason the Government has not proscribed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps; and what discussions he has had with his US counterpart on that issue.

Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)

While the UK Government keeps the list of proscribed organisations under review, we do not routinely comment on whether an organisation is or is not being considered for proscription.

The UK Government has long been clear about our concerns over the malign activity of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The UK maintains sanctions on over 400 Iranian individuals and entities covering human rights abuses and nuclear proliferation. The Government has also imposed sanctions on the IRGC in its entirety and on several senior security and political figures in Iran, including senior commanders within the IRGC and its Basij force.

The UK Government, working with the US, has engaged closely with European partners on Iranian transnational threats and we will continue to hold Iran and the IRGC to account. On 24 January 2024, we took coordinated action with the US and imposed sanctions on several members of the IRGC for their involvement in plots to assassinate individuals on UK soil.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department plans to take to tackle hostile activities by the Iranian regime in the UK, in the context of recent reports of (a) threats to British journalists and human rights defenders by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and (b) the use UK-based banks to procure funds in breach of UK sanctions.

Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)

We do not routinely comment on operational matters or specific threats. However, we take the protection of individuals’ rights, freedoms and safety in the UK very seriously. We continually assess potential threats in the UK and use all tools at our disposal to protect the UK and our interests from any Iran-linked threats.

UK businesses – including banks – are expected to perform due diligence checks on all of their customers and clients to ensure compliance with all UK sanctions regulations.

The UK is committed to ensuring that our sanctions are robustly enforced, potential breaches are assessed, and appropriate action is taken where a breach is identified. Non-compliance with UK sanctions is a serious offence and punishable through disclosures, financial penalties, or criminal prosecution. Departments from across HMG – including FCDO, HMT, OFSI, HMRC, HO, and the NCA – are working together, and with UK companies, to ensure that sanctions are enforced.

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