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1190509

registered interest
date	27/04/2020
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Sanitary Products: VAT
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what (a) role and (b) responsibilities his Department has apportioned to the Department of Communiites in Northern Ireland in relation to the Tampon Tax Fund; and if he will publish documentation on that role and those responsibilities.
tabling member constituency	South Antrim
tabling member printed	Paul Girvan
uin	40737
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/05/2020 answer text <p>The Tampon Tax Fund is a UK-wide fund. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport works in consultation with the government of the devolved administrations, including the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland, to deliver the Tampon Tax Fund.</p><p> </p><p>The 2020/21 round of the Tampon Tax Fund was launched on 16th March 2020. The Department for Communities in Northern Ireland will be asked to provide additional feedback on how applications looking to deliver projects in Northern Ireland fit within their priorities, as part of a wider assessment process. The Department for Communities in Northern Ireland also holds the grant agreements for Tampon Tax Fund projects that are delivered predominantly in Northern Ireland and will continue to do so for the 2020/21 round of funding.</p> answering member constituency Maldon answering member printed Mr John Whittingdale question first answered 04/05/2020 10:51:47 answering member 39 label Biography information for Sir John Whittingdale
tabling member	4633 label Biography information for Paul Girvan

1190513

registered interest
date	27/04/2020
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Gambling: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that vulnerable gamblers are protected during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Swansea East
tabling member printed	Carolyn Harris
uin	40682
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/05/2020 answer text <p>The government has made clear that we expect operators to be aware of the potential risk for increased gambling harm as people spend much more time at home and online. I have written and spoken to operators to remind them that they should be particularly responsible regarding player protections and advertising at this time, as have the Gambling Commission and the Advertising Standards Authority. We are continuing to monitor the situation carefully.</p><p> </p><p>The government has welcomed the ‘10 commitments’ launched by the Betting and Gaming Council to ensure safer gambling practices amongst its members. Following engagement and correspondence with the government and the Commission, BGC members have also pledged for the next six weeks to replace all slot, casino and bingo advertising on TV and radio with safer gambling adverts or to donate the slots to charity, and their online advertising will focus more on safer gambling measures.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Gambling Commission has published Covid specific guidance to customers about staying safe when gambling online, including on how to limit ad exposure on social media and access support if needed. This all comes against a backdrop of continuing government and regulator action, including the introduction of tighter age and identity verification requirements, a ban on credit card gambling and the introduction of Gamstop integration as a condition of holding a licence.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>We continue to hold operators to account if they fail to adequately protect consumers at this difficult time and will not hesitate to step in if that becomes necessary.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Mid Worcestershire answering member printed Nigel Huddleston grouped question UIN 40683 question first answered 01/05/2020 12:58:24 answering member 4407 label Biography information for Nigel Huddleston
tabling member	4480 label Biography information for Carolyn Harris

1190514

registered interest
date	27/04/2020
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Gambling: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the Gambling Industry to ensure that gamblers are protected during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Swansea East
tabling member printed	Carolyn Harris
uin	40683
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/05/2020 answer text <p>The government has made clear that we expect operators to be aware of the potential risk for increased gambling harm as people spend much more time at home and online. I have written and spoken to operators to remind them that they should be particularly responsible regarding player protections and advertising at this time, as have the Gambling Commission and the Advertising Standards Authority. We are continuing to monitor the situation carefully.</p><p> </p><p>The government has welcomed the ‘10 commitments’ launched by the Betting and Gaming Council to ensure safer gambling practices amongst its members. Following engagement and correspondence with the government and the Commission, BGC members have also pledged for the next six weeks to replace all slot, casino and bingo advertising on TV and radio with safer gambling adverts or to donate the slots to charity, and their online advertising will focus more on safer gambling measures.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Gambling Commission has published Covid specific guidance to customers about staying safe when gambling online, including on how to limit ad exposure on social media and access support if needed. This all comes against a backdrop of continuing government and regulator action, including the introduction of tighter age and identity verification requirements, a ban on credit card gambling and the introduction of Gamstop integration as a condition of holding a licence.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>We continue to hold operators to account if they fail to adequately protect consumers at this difficult time and will not hesitate to step in if that becomes necessary.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Mid Worcestershire answering member printed Nigel Huddleston grouped question UIN 40682 question first answered 01/05/2020 12:58:24 answering member 4407 label Biography information for Nigel Huddleston
tabling member	4480 label Biography information for Carolyn Harris

1190515

registered interest
date	27/04/2020
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Gambling: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the frequency of targeted adverts for online gambling sites on social media channels during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Midlothian
tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
uin	40686
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/05/2020 answer text <p>The government, Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), and Gambling Commission do not hold data on the frequency at which targeted advertising is shown to or seen by social media users. The nature of targeted advertising makes it difficult to generate accurate figures as the number of targeted gambling advertisements varies considerably between users.</p><p> </p><p>Targeted gambling advertising on social media platforms, like all forms of gambling advertising, is subject to strict controls. Rules on content mean that these adverts must never seek to exploit or appeal to children or vulnerable people, and rules on placement mean that they must never be targeted at these groups. In October 2019 the Gambling Commission issued a challenge to industry to make better use of advertising technology to target away from vulnerable people. Following this, it was announced in April that industry has committed to make better and more consistent use of customer data to ensure paid-for advertising is targeted away from vulnerable people on social media platforms.</p><p> </p><p>The government is aware of concerns that the anxiety and isolation experienced as a result of measures in place to curb the spread of covid 19 may increase the risk of gambling-related harms for some people. In recognition of this, the Minister for Sport, Tourism and Heritage has written to operators to urge them to increase the prominence of safer gambling messaging in all adverts during the current period, including online. In addition, the ASA has written to operators warning them that they must continue to abide by existing rules and must not look to exploit the current situation.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Mid Worcestershire answering member printed Nigel Huddleston grouped question UIN 41135 question first answered 04/05/2020 10:43:34 answering member 4407 label Biography information for Nigel Huddleston
tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1190516

registered interest
date	27/04/2020
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Gambling
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether (a) gambling operators, (b) the Gambling Commission or (c) his Department has a statutory duty of care for protecting vulnerable people under section 1(c) of the Gambling Act 2005.
tabling member constituency	Swansea East
tabling member printed	Carolyn Harris
uin	40684
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/05/2020 answer text <p>The Gambling Act 2005 does not create a statutory duty of care on operators, the Gambling Commission, or the Department. However, the protection of vulnerable people is one of the primary objectives of the Act, permeating many of the provisions such as the duty on the Gambling Commission to promote the licensing objectives, which include the protection of children and other vulnerable persons from being harmed or exploited by gambling. The Act created an extensive framework for player protection with a statutory basis for the protection of vulnerable people, including through licence revocation and financial penalties. The range of specific and extensive regulatory and licensing measures mean licensees are accountable for player protection failures.</p> answering member constituency Mid Worcestershire answering member printed Nigel Huddleston question first answered 05/05/2020 08:55:27 answering member 4407 label Biography information for Nigel Huddleston
tabling member	4480 label Biography information for Carolyn Harris

1190517

registered interest
date	27/04/2020
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Gambling: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many complaints have been received by the Advertising Standards Authority on adverts for online gambling sites during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Midlothian
tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
uin	40687
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/05/2020 answer text <p>Gambling advertising is subject to strict controls set out in the advertising codes of practice issued by the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) and the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP). Rules on content mean that these adverts must never seek to exploit or appeal to children or vulnerable people, and rules on placement mean that they must never be targeted at these groups. Both the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) – as the independent advertising regulator – and the Gambling Commission can take action where gambling advertising is found to be in breach of these rules.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Advertising Standards Authority received 82 complaints about gambling advertising in March this year, and a further 97 complaints between 1 and 28 April. This is compared to 79 complaints received in January, and 71 received in February. Of the 179 complaints received between 1 March and 28 April, 109 related to TV advertising, 8 to radio advertising and the rest to online and non-broadcast media. The ASA does not record what proportion of these adverts were promoting online gambling sites. It did not find any of the adverts complained about to be in breach of the codes for gambling advertising but did take enforcement action where a gambling advert was found to be misleading and therefore in breach of the wider advertising codes.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Between 23 March and 28 April, the Gambling Commission identified a total of 11 online adverts for online gambling products that were in breach of the rules on advertising that relate to the protection of vulnerable adults. Gambling Commission intervention with the operators involved ensured that these adverts were removed or altered. During that period it did not find any adverts to be in breach of rules requiring adverts not to be targeted at children or of particular appeal to them.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The government, Gambling Commission and the ASA do not hold information about the volume of broadcast advertising promoting online gambling. The Minister for Sport, Tourism and Heritage has written to operators to urge them to increase the prominence of safer gambling messaging adverts across all channels during the current period. In addition, the ASA has warned operators that they must continue to abide by existing rules and must not look to exploit the current situation. Industry group the Betting and Gaming Council announced on 27 April that in response to public concern its members would replace adverts for online slot, casino and bingo products on TV and radio with safer gambling adverts, or donate the slots to charity, for an initial period of six weeks.</p> answering member constituency Mid Worcestershire answering member printed Nigel Huddleston grouped question UIN 40688 40767 question first answered 05/05/2020 08:59:49 answering member 4407 label Biography information for Nigel Huddleston
tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1190518

registered interest
date	27/04/2020
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Gambling: Reviews
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the planned timescale is for the gambling review.
tabling member constituency	Swansea East
tabling member printed	Carolyn Harris
uin	40685
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/04/2020 answer text <p>The government committed in its manifesto to review the Gambling Act 2005 to make sure it is fit for the digital age. This commitment remains a priority, but as with other areas of government business the impact of Covid-19 has placed unforeseen pressures on the Department. We are continuing to work closely with the Gambling Commission, including on ensuring that vulnerable people are protected in this time of potentially heightened risk. A timeline for the review will be announced in due course.</p> answering member constituency Mid Worcestershire answering member printed Nigel Huddleston question first answered 30/04/2020 13:18:01 answering member 4407 label Biography information for Nigel Huddleston
tabling member	4480 label Biography information for Carolyn Harris

1190519

registered interest
date	27/04/2020
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Gambling: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many adverts for online gambling sites on online channels have been found to be in breach of existing standards (a) to protect adult audiences and (b) to limit exposure for under-18s during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Midlothian
tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
uin	40688
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/05/2020 answer text <p>Gambling advertising is subject to strict controls set out in the advertising codes of practice issued by the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) and the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP). Rules on content mean that these adverts must never seek to exploit or appeal to children or vulnerable people, and rules on placement mean that they must never be targeted at these groups. Both the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) – as the independent advertising regulator – and the Gambling Commission can take action where gambling advertising is found to be in breach of these rules.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Advertising Standards Authority received 82 complaints about gambling advertising in March this year, and a further 97 complaints between 1 and 28 April. This is compared to 79 complaints received in January, and 71 received in February. Of the 179 complaints received between 1 March and 28 April, 109 related to TV advertising, 8 to radio advertising and the rest to online and non-broadcast media. The ASA does not record what proportion of these adverts were promoting online gambling sites. It did not find any of the adverts complained about to be in breach of the codes for gambling advertising but did take enforcement action where a gambling advert was found to be misleading and therefore in breach of the wider advertising codes.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Between 23 March and 28 April, the Gambling Commission identified a total of 11 online adverts for online gambling products that were in breach of the rules on advertising that relate to the protection of vulnerable adults. Gambling Commission intervention with the operators involved ensured that these adverts were removed or altered. During that period it did not find any adverts to be in breach of rules requiring adverts not to be targeted at children or of particular appeal to them.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The government, Gambling Commission and the ASA do not hold information about the volume of broadcast advertising promoting online gambling. The Minister for Sport, Tourism and Heritage has written to operators to urge them to increase the prominence of safer gambling messaging adverts across all channels during the current period. In addition, the ASA has warned operators that they must continue to abide by existing rules and must not look to exploit the current situation. Industry group the Betting and Gaming Council announced on 27 April that in response to public concern its members would replace adverts for online slot, casino and bingo products on TV and radio with safer gambling adverts, or donate the slots to charity, for an initial period of six weeks.</p> answering member constituency Mid Worcestershire answering member printed Nigel Huddleston grouped question UIN 40687 40767 question first answered 05/05/2020 08:59:49 answering member 4407 label Biography information for Nigel Huddleston
tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1190520

registered interest
date	27/04/2020
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Gambling: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of whether there has been an increased risk of problem gambling among (a) adults and (b) children and young people through in-game purchases in video games during the covid-19 outbreak; and what steps his Department is taking to mitigate such risks.
tabling member constituency	Midlothian
tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
uin	40689
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/05/2020 answer text <p>The government has no evidence of a causative link between in-games purchases and problem gambling, and we have no evidence that this has changed during the covid-19 outbreak. However, we continue to monitor the situation closely.</p><p> </p><p>The government takes concerns around gambling-like behaviour in video games very seriously. We have committed to a review of the Gambling Act, with a particular focus on tackling issues around loot boxes. Further details will be set out in the government response to the DCMS Select Committee’s report on Immersive and Addictive Technologies which will be published shortly.</p><p> </p><p>We also continue to work with industry and the age ratings bodies to encourage the use of parental controls that can disable or limit spending on devices, and welcomed the launch in January 2020 of the games industry’s Get Smart About P.L.A.Y. campaign encouraging parents to use parental controls and take an active role in their children’s gaming. We also welcome PEGI’s decision to introduce a new ‘paid random items’ content label.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Gosport answering member printed Caroline Dinenage question first answered 04/05/2020 10:43:09 answering member 4008 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Dinenage
tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1190521

registered interest
date	27/04/2020
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Gambling: Video Games
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when he plans to publish a response to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee report on Immersive and Addictive Technology, published on 12 September 2019, HC 1846.
tabling member constituency	Midlothian
tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
uin	40690
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/05/2020 answer text <p>The government response setting out further details and our planned next steps across a range of areas will be published shortly.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Gosport answering member printed Caroline Dinenage question first answered 04/05/2020 16:18:21 answering member 4008 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Dinenage
tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson