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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to NICE's draft for consultation entitled Harmful gambling: identification, assessment and management, published in October 2023, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on that consultation's draft guidance on GPs asking patients presenting with a mental health issue about their potential gambling habits.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is the government lead for treatment of gambling-related harms and commissioned the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to develop a new clinical guideline on gambling which is currently out for consultation and will close on 15 November. Following the gambling white paper published in April, DCMS has launched a public consultation on the statutory levy charged to gambling operators which proposes clear, ringfenced investment for the NHS to lead the commissioning of treatment services for gambling-related harm.

The Secretary of State has not recently had any such discussions, but DCMS officials will continue to work closely with DHSC to ensure that the latest evidence on the health harms associated with gambling and effective treatment resulting from that consultation is closely considered.