Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many civil servants in her Department have a criminal conviction.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
No civil servants at DCMS hold a criminal conviction.
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the (a) Gambling Commission and (b) Financial Conduct Authority on potential proposals to regulate companies like Football Index.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The collapse of BetIndex Ltd, the operators of the novel gambling product Football Index, had a significant impact on former customers, and we recognise the frustration and anger that this has caused. As a result, the Government announced an Independent Review, conducted by Malcom Sheehan KC, which looked at how the company had been regulated and identified lessons learned for various agencies. These recommendations have since been implemented.
Following the collapse of Football Index, the then-Minister held several meetings with the Gambling Commission, and officials have worked closely with their counterparts at His Majesty’s Treasury on the role of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in this case. I also met representatives from the Football Index Action Group last year and officials from the department are discussing the issues raised by the group with the Gambling Commission.
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what systems the Gambling Commission has in place to (a) monitor, (b) close down and (c) take other action against illegal gambling sites.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
As set out in the response to WPQ 2835, the best available estimates suggest the black market accounts for less than 2.5% of bets in this country. The Gambling Commission takes a risk-based approach to the illegal provision of gambling facilities. The 2021 fees uplift increased investment in how the Commission monitors and tackles the black market. It operates on a system of escalating interventions where it identifies unlicensed operators interacting with British customers, from initial cease and desist letters up to more robust disruption. This includes working with internet search and service providers to delist illegal operators and restrict access, working with payment providers and financial institutions to cut illegal operators off from payments, and working with software providers to prevent access to popular products and games.
As we committed to in the white paper, we are also legislating through the Criminal Justice Bill to give stronger powers to the Gambling Commission to take down criminal gambling websites, and plan to reform the Commission's fee structure to give it greater flexibility to respond to emerging risks, such as black market gambling.
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the number of online illegal gambling sites accessible from the UK.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
There are inherent difficulties in accurately estimating the scale of the unlicensed gambling market in this country. We are not aware of any robust estimates for precisely how many unlicensed sites are accessible from the UK, and this is further complicated by the high churn in black market operations.
However, the Government is aware of a number of studies including from the industry which suggests that the black market accounts for less than 2.5% of bets. Data from the Gambling Commission also suggests that the scale of the black market has remained low and stable, with little variation in the number of complaints it has received about illegal gambling websites.
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many and what proportion of (a) board members and (b) employees of the Gambling Commission have previous experience in the industries that they regulate.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Commission does not collect data on previous employers of its current staff but ensures that staff are able to access specialist knowledge to make informed and evidence-based decisions. The Commission also has a Managing Conflicts of Interest Policy that explains how it identifies and manages conflicts.
Job specifications for Commissioners reflect the range of skills and experience required by the Board including customer protection and insight, law enforcement and data science and digital innovation. Biographies of the current board members are available on Gov.uk.
As part of the fair and open process to recruit board members, candidates are assessed on their experience in different sectors, their understanding of the Gambling Commission’s work and the importance of effective, independent, proportionate, and impartial regulation.
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many and what proportion of (a) board members and (b) employees of the Charity Commission have previous experience in the industry that they regulate.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Charity Commission does not hold information on how many employees have experience in the charity sector.
Schedule 1 to the Charities Act 2011 states that the Board of the Charity Commission must collectively have knowledge and experience of charity law, charity accounts and finances, and the operation and regulation of charities. Biographies of the current board members are available on Gov.uk.
As part of the fair and open process to recruit board members, candidates are assessed on their experience in different sectors, their commitment to the charity sector, and their understanding of the Charity Commission’s work and the importance of effective, independent, proportionate, and impartial regulation.
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the Gambling Commission's adherence to the Regulators Code; and how many discussions have Ministers or officials in her Department had with the Gambling Commission on their requirements under the Regulators Code in each of the last three years.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
As the sponsoring department of the Gambling Commission, we engage regularly to discuss their performance in line with relevant Cabinet Office guidance.
It is the responsibility of regulators to ensure that the Regulators’ Code is reflected appropriately in their own policy and procedures. The Commission’s statement of principles for licensing and regulation outlines the general principles it will apply in exercising its functions under the Gambling Act 2005. These principles were formulated with a view to ensuring that the Commission regulates gambling in line with the Regulators’ Code in a supportive, straightforward, risk based, and transparent manner.
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had with (a) the gambling industry, (b) gambling campaigners and campaign groups and (c) users of gambling services in each of the last 3 years.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s ministers and officials meet regularly with a range of gambling stakeholders, including industry and charity representatives, to hear their views on the sector and discuss areas of concern. These meetings are continuing following the publication of the white paper following our Review of the Gambling Act 2005.
All ministerial meetings are published on GOV.UK and can be accessed on the website.
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
If she will take steps to end the TV licence.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The BBC's funding model faces major challenges to its sustainability due to changes in the way people consume media.
We remain committed to reviewing the licence fee model ahead of the next Charter period to explore the potential for alternative ways to ensure the BBC remains appropriately funded over the long-term.
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many employees in her Department work on matters related to covid-19.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
DCMS currently has 6 FTE working on engagement with the Covid Public Inquiry. There will be a number of staff working for varying proportions of their time on matters relating to Covid-19 such as evaluating support provided during the pandemic but we do not track this information centrally.