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, what the civil service headcount for their Department was on (a) 15 November 2022 and (b) 1 February 2020.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The civil service headcount in DCMS was as follows:
1959 total headcount; 1924.7 FTE (with BDUK); 1747 total headcount; 1714.9 FTE (without BDUK); and
1276 total headcount; 1245 FTE.
National Statistics on Civil Service employment numbers, both overall and by department, are published each quarter by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) as part of their Public Sector Employment statistical release. The latest figures were published 13 September 2022 and showed the position as at 30 June 2022. The next figures will be published 13 December for the end of September position.
More timely workforce information is also published by departments in the interests of transparency on GOV.UK each month. This monthly workforce management information (MWMI) includes additional breakdowns on department and agency employment numbers e.g. showing contingent labour, grade breakdowns and associated costs.
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, what assessment she has made of the revenue opportunities on offer from the growing NFT industry for English football.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has not made a specific assessment of whether Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) can benefit football in England.
The Cryptoassets Taskforce, consisting of Her Majesty’s Treasury (HMT), the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), was established in 2018 to explore the impact of crypto assets and the potential benefits and challenges of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) in financial services, as well as assessing what, if any, regulation is required in response. HMT is not currently proposing to bring NFTs into regulation.
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, what proportion of Gambling Commission investigations into novel products have been brought to prosecution; what proportion of those prosecutions have been successful, and on average how long investigations take prior to prosecution.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Gambling Commission has both regulatory and criminal powers, and its investigation remit covers either regulatory failing by licensees (under LCCP) or criminal offences (under the Gambling Act 2005). The Commission does not record whether an investigation is related to a novel product, but in response to the collapse of BetIndex Limited, the Commission updated how it assesses risk so that novel products are properly considered.
The Commission often refuses a licence to operators if they are shown to be novel at the licence application stage (e.g. if they use cryptocurrency as a source of funds or intend to offer consumers cryptocurrency as a route to play). It cannot bring a prosecution under the Gambling Act 2005 regarding an aspect of a product which is outside of its remit.
The Gambling Commission at all times strives to recruit people with the skills, knowledge and diversity required to regulate the fast moving and innovative gambling sector but it does not retain information on where its staff join from and on the scope of their earlier careers. As well as staff with specialisms in areas of gambling such as cryptocurrency and NFTs, the Commission’s market insights specialists help anticipate industry developments.
All staff in the Commission’s Operations team (around 30% of its workforce) have the technical experience to investigate novel products and new technologies and where content is challenging, call on subject matter experts as appropriate (internal or external). The most recent estimate for the Commission’s overall headcount was around 320.
In order to help equip the Commission to tackle the rate of technological change, four years ago the Commission established a Digital Advisory Panel to advise on the digital landscape and emerging trends which may impact on how the gambling market operates, how the Commission interacts with operators and how they interact with consumers. The Digital Advisory Panel works with staff to explore the impact of emerging technologies on the Commission’s regulatory and policy work to ensure that they are a future-fit and effective regulator.
The Commission does not comment on ongoing cases. Each case has its own circumstances, and the length of prosecution depends on the case complexity and the court process.
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 staff who are employed by the Gambling Commission who have previously worked in the (a) technology, (b) digital assets, (c) cryptoassets or (d) NFT sectors.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Gambling Commission has both regulatory and criminal powers, and its investigation remit covers either regulatory failing by licensees (under LCCP) or criminal offences (under the Gambling Act 2005). The Commission does not record whether an investigation is related to a novel product, but in response to the collapse of BetIndex Limited, the Commission updated how it assesses risk so that novel products are properly considered.
The Commission often refuses a licence to operators if they are shown to be novel at the licence application stage (e.g. if they use cryptocurrency as a source of funds or intend to offer consumers cryptocurrency as a route to play). It cannot bring a prosecution under the Gambling Act 2005 regarding an aspect of a product which is outside of its remit.
The Gambling Commission at all times strives to recruit people with the skills, knowledge and diversity required to regulate the fast moving and innovative gambling sector but it does not retain information on where its staff join from and on the scope of their earlier careers. As well as staff with specialisms in areas of gambling such as cryptocurrency and NFTs, the Commission’s market insights specialists help anticipate industry developments.
All staff in the Commission’s Operations team (around 30% of its workforce) have the technical experience to investigate novel products and new technologies and where content is challenging, call on subject matter experts as appropriate (internal or external). The most recent estimate for the Commission’s overall headcount was around 320.
In order to help equip the Commission to tackle the rate of technological change, four years ago the Commission established a Digital Advisory Panel to advise on the digital landscape and emerging trends which may impact on how the gambling market operates, how the Commission interacts with operators and how they interact with consumers. The Digital Advisory Panel works with staff to explore the impact of emerging technologies on the Commission’s regulatory and policy work to ensure that they are a future-fit and effective regulator.
The Commission does not comment on ongoing cases. Each case has its own circumstances, and the length of prosecution depends on the case complexity and the court process.
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, what estimate she has made of the number of (a) employees and (b) consultants that are employed by the Gambling Commission with the relevant technical experience to investigate new technologies.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Gambling Commission has both regulatory and criminal powers, and its investigation remit covers either regulatory failing by licensees (under LCCP) or criminal offences (under the Gambling Act 2005). The Commission does not record whether an investigation is related to a novel product, but in response to the collapse of BetIndex Limited, the Commission updated how it assesses risk so that novel products are properly considered.
The Commission often refuses a licence to operators if they are shown to be novel at the licence application stage (e.g. if they use cryptocurrency as a source of funds or intend to offer consumers cryptocurrency as a route to play). It cannot bring a prosecution under the Gambling Act 2005 regarding an aspect of a product which is outside of its remit.
The Gambling Commission at all times strives to recruit people with the skills, knowledge and diversity required to regulate the fast moving and innovative gambling sector but it does not retain information on where its staff join from and on the scope of their earlier careers. As well as staff with specialisms in areas of gambling such as cryptocurrency and NFTs, the Commission’s market insights specialists help anticipate industry developments.
All staff in the Commission’s Operations team (around 30% of its workforce) have the technical experience to investigate novel products and new technologies and where content is challenging, call on subject matter experts as appropriate (internal or external). The most recent estimate for the Commission’s overall headcount was around 320.
In order to help equip the Commission to tackle the rate of technological change, four years ago the Commission established a Digital Advisory Panel to advise on the digital landscape and emerging trends which may impact on how the gambling market operates, how the Commission interacts with operators and how they interact with consumers. The Digital Advisory Panel works with staff to explore the impact of emerging technologies on the Commission’s regulatory and policy work to ensure that they are a future-fit and effective regulator.
The Commission does not comment on ongoing cases. Each case has its own circumstances, and the length of prosecution depends on the case complexity and the court process.
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 much money the Gambling Commission has spent on investigating novel products in each of the last 5 years.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Gambling Commission has both regulatory and criminal powers, and its investigation remit covers either regulatory failing by licensees (under LCCP) or criminal offences (under the Gambling Act 2005). The Commission does not record whether an investigation is related to a novel product, but in response to the collapse of BetIndex Limited, the Commission updated how it assesses risk so that novel products are properly considered.
The Commission often refuses a licence to operators if they are shown to be novel at the licence application stage (e.g. if they use cryptocurrency as a source of funds or intend to offer consumers cryptocurrency as a route to play). It cannot bring a prosecution under the Gambling Act 2005 regarding an aspect of a product which is outside of its remit.
The Gambling Commission at all times strives to recruit people with the skills, knowledge and diversity required to regulate the fast moving and innovative gambling sector but it does not retain information on where its staff join from and on the scope of their earlier careers. As well as staff with specialisms in areas of gambling such as cryptocurrency and NFTs, the Commission’s market insights specialists help anticipate industry developments.
All staff in the Commission’s Operations team (around 30% of its workforce) have the technical experience to investigate novel products and new technologies and where content is challenging, call on subject matter experts as appropriate (internal or external). The most recent estimate for the Commission’s overall headcount was around 320.
In order to help equip the Commission to tackle the rate of technological change, four years ago the Commission established a Digital Advisory Panel to advise on the digital landscape and emerging trends which may impact on how the gambling market operates, how the Commission interacts with operators and how they interact with consumers. The Digital Advisory Panel works with staff to explore the impact of emerging technologies on the Commission’s regulatory and policy work to ensure that they are a future-fit and effective regulator.
The Commission does not comment on ongoing cases. Each case has its own circumstances, and the length of prosecution depends on the case complexity and the court process.
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 visits the Chief Executive of the Gambling Commission has made since his appointment to (a) casinos, (b) betting shops, (c) online gambling companies, (d) bingo halls, (e) adult gaming centres and (f) family entertainment centres.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The total number of visits made to each type of premise requested since the Chief Executive’s appointment in June 2021 is detailed below.
Number of visits made by the Chief Executive of the Gambling Commission since appointment | ||||||
Type of premises | Casinos | Betting shops | Online gambling companies | Bingo halls | Adult gaming centres | Family entertainment centres |
Number of visits | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
Visits to premises are only one form of engagement with licensees that the Chief Executive undertakes. He has focussed stakeholder plans each year to reach a broad range of stakeholders, including regular meetings with CEOs and trade bodies, speaking at events and attending industry conferences. Since his appointment the Chief Executive has had 9 meetings with online operators and 13 with representatives of trade bodies, as well as speaking at events such as trade shows and trade body AGMs, to reach more operators. There is a further programme of engagement for the year ahead which includes more premises visits following disruptions caused by Covid in 2021 and 2022.
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, if she will detail the losses and special payments valued at under £300,000 for her departmental group as defined by section A4.10.7 in HM Treasury's Managing Public Money for (a) 2018-19, (b) 2019-20 and (c) 2020-21.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
We gather information for the total number and value of losses and special payments for each financial year, but only the detailed breakdown of each of these which are above £300k. We do not gather itemised information for losses and special payments below this level (i.e. what it relates to or any other details) as there is no requirement to do so for the purposes of statutory financial reporting.
The details on the amounts over £300k are published in the Annual Report and Accounts for that year. All the information for losses and special payments requested above can therefore be found in the corresponding Annual Report and Accounts for the applicable year, available on GOV.UK.
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, if she will take steps to ensure that her Department and its agencies remove all internal covid-19 related policies, restrictions and mask mandates.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The government’s Working Safely guidance continues to require organisations to carry out a risk assessment which includes the risk from COVID-19. It also sets out additional actions organisations can take to protect employees and customers in the workplace, such as ensuring adequate ventilation, frequent cleaning, asking people to wash their hands frequently and asking people with COVID-19 to stay away. The guidance advises that people continue to wear face coverings in crowded and enclosed settings where they come into contact with people they do not normally meet, when rates of transmission are high. DCMS will continue to follow this guidance and align their policies accordingly.
Government advice for self isolation (following a positive test) still remains in place, so DCMS will continue to follow this and DCMS will not be asking people with Covid symptoms or a positive test to come into the office. It remains good practice for employees to inform close contacts following a positive result, therefore DCMS will continue to assist with case response support.
DCMS will assess the new public health guidance, from 1 April and use this advice to inform decisions on how to manage the risk on a long term basis.
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, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of restrictions on charities' marketing spend on the income of charities throughout the country.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Decisions on fundraising and marketing are the responsibility of a charity's trustees - in particular to ensure decisions reflect the charity's purpose, and deliver on their objectives.
Charities must also ensure they meet the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct and Promotional Marketing (CAP Code) and the UK Code of Broadcast Advertising (BCAP Code) and make sure all advertisements are legal, decent, honest and truthful.
Where the government has provided funding to support the services that charities deliver, there may be restrictions on what this funding can be used for, to ensure public money is only used for activities intended by the grant programme, for example, direct delivery of services to those the charity works with.