Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that people who suffer from severe gambling addiction receive prompt treatment.

National Health Services receive over 1,000 referrals for gambling addition each quarter, with plans to expand capacity.

In April, the new statutory levy on gambling operators came into effect to fund the research, prevention, and treatment of gambling-related harm. NHS England and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities are working collaboratively on the development of their respective gambling treatment and prevention programmes during this transition year.

The availability of levy funding will enable oversight and consistency across NHS and voluntary, community, and social enterprise provision, and the expansion of available capacity.

NHS England continues to work at pace to take on commissioning responsibility for the full treatment pathway in England, from referral and triage through to aftercare. Evidence- based commissioning decisions will be made to ensure optimal treatment modalities.