Asked by: Jim Fitzpatrick (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of society lotteries on the hospice sector; and whether he plans to make it easier for society lotteries to raise funds for hospices and other good causes through deregulation.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
I greatly appreciate the impact society lotteries have as a fundraising tool for charities and other non-commercial organisations, raising hundreds of millions of pounds every year for many good causes including the hospice sector.
We are looking at the role of society lotteries, with advice from the Gambling Commission, and will make an announcement in due course.
Asked by: Jim Fitzpatrick (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of society lotteries on the hospice sector; and whether he plans to make it easier for society lotteries to raise funds for hospices and other good causes through deregulation.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
I greatly appreciate the impact society lotteries have as a fundraising tool for charities and other non-commercial organisations, raising hundreds of millions of pounds every year for many good causes including the hospice sector.
We are looking at the role of society lotteries, with advice from the Gambling Commission, and will make an announcement in due course.
Asked by: Jim Fitzpatrick (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what progress her Department has made with the food, drink and advertising industries on discouraging the promotion of high caffeine and sugar energy drinks at sporting events.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
Sporting Future: A New Strategy for an Active Nation published in 2015 committed government to continue to discuss with sports the scope for voluntary agreements on high fat sugar and salt (HFSS) food sponsorship. Working with Department of Health, Public Health England, the Sport and Recreation Alliance and sports organisations we developed a set of principles for sports bodies to consider when entering into relationships that relate to HFSS products. These principles were set out in Sport England's wider guidance to sports bodies on commercial sponsorship in May this year. This included ensuring monies received are reinvested into developing and promoting sport and providing information to consumers on the content of food and drink available at sporting events.
In addition, Public Health England (PHE) are leading a programme to reduce the levels of sugar in key foods that contribute most to children’s sugar intakes by 20% by 2020.
Asked by: Jim Fitzpatrick (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the voluntary levy on the betting industry to support greyhound welfare, what progress the Government has made on encouraging bookmakers to join the scheme and secure contributions for revenue generated in (a) the UK and (b) offshore; and what further steps the Government plans to take to encourage more bookmakers to join that scheme.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
With regard to those based in Great Britain, the Association of British Bookmakers has estimated that over 90% of all Licenced Betting Offices in Britain contribute to the voluntary levy.
Earlier this year I wrote to trade bodies representing the betting industry to ask that they take part in discussions to improve the current funding position in the greyhound industry, to be chaired by Lord Lipsey.
Lord Lipsey’s work is ongoing and Ladbrokes Coral have followed Bet 365 and recently announced that they will begin making voluntary contributions to the greyhound racing industry based on their offshore business from the start of 2018. This is a welcome boost to the sport which will strengthen the industry's ability to meet and exceed their commitments in relation to welfare and integrity and I would urge all betting operators who do not currently contribute to the voluntary levy to reconsider their position.