Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the findings of Gambling Commission's Young people and gambling survey 2019 published on 23 October 2019, what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on educating school children about the risks of gambling and in-game loot boxes and (b) the Chancellor of the Exchequer on increasing the levies on gambling to pay for such education.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, meets regularly with Cabinet colleagues to discuss the agenda of the Department for Education. This includes relevant topics covered by the new subjects of relationships education (for primary age pupils), relationships and sex education (for secondary age pupils) and health education (for all pupils in state-funded schools). The Department for Education has worked with other Departments, including the Department for Health and Social Care, in developing the content for the new curriculum subjects which will be taught in schools from September 2020.

The Department for Education wants to equip young people for adult life and to make a positive contribution to society. The statutory guidance for the new subjects was published in June 2019, which is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/805781/Relationships_Education__Relationships_and_Sex_Education__RSE__and_Health_Education.pdf.

The subjects will support all young people in terms of managing risk, making informed decisions, as well as in key aspects such as mental wellbeing and online behavior. Under the topic of internet safety and harms, it sets out that young people should be taught about the risks related to online gambling, including the accumulation of debt, how advertising and information is targeted at them, and how to be a discerning consumer of information online.