Asked by: Clive Efford (Labour - Eltham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, by what date he plans to implement the Horse Racing Betting Levy for online gambling; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Helen Grant
This Government wants to ensure that offshore-based online gambling operators pay their fair share to the funding of horseracing. We have identified two options for achieving this: reforming the existing Horserace Betting Levy or replacing the Levy with a Horserace Betting Right and have published three consultations, the third of which closed on 12 March. We are currently analysing the responses. Implementing either option will require legislation.
Asked by: Clive Efford (Labour - Eltham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to prevent betting operators receiving licences for two betting shops which share the same premises; what discussions he has had on this issue with (a) representatives of local licensing authorities, (b) the betting industry and (c) the Gambling Commission; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Helen Grant
The law already stipulates that no more than one betting premises licence may be in effect for any premises at the same time. Local licensing authorities need to ensure that when they grant premises licences, they do so only for genuinely separate premises. The Gambling Commission’s statutory guidance to licensing authorities gives clear advice to licensing authorities on how to carry out this function.
Details of ministerial meetings are published quarterly on the gov.uk website and are available at
Asked by: Clive Efford (Labour - Eltham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will bring forward proposals to give local authorities additional powers to restrict the clustering of betting shops in their communities and to restrict the number of fixed odds betting terminals; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Helen Grant
The government consulted in summer 2014 on a range of planning measures to support our high streets, including bringing in a requirement for a planning application to be made to the local planning authority for any proposed change of use to a betting shop. An announcement on the outcome of this consultation and the next steps will be made in due course.
Asked by: Clive Efford (Labour - Eltham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Written Statement of 30 April 2014, Official Report, columns 53-4WS, on betting shops and gambling, when he expects local authorities to be given additional powers to restrict the clustering of betting shops; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Helen Grant
The government consulted in summer 2014 on a range of planning measures to support our high streets, including bringing in a requirement for a planning application to be made to the local planning authority for any proposed change of use to a betting shop. An announcement on the outcome of this consultation and the next steps will be made in due course.
Asked by: Clive Efford (Labour - Eltham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when he expects the expert working group on supporter ownership and engagement in football to publish its findings; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Helen Grant
I expect to receive a summary of the Expert Group's initial recommendations before the end of this Parliament, with a full report planned to be published in November.
Asked by: Clive Efford (Labour - Eltham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to paragraph 2.113 of the Autumn Statement 2014, what assessment he has made of the consultation on the introduction of a horse racing betting levy for negotiations between his Department, UKRep and the European Commission on extending the existing horse racing betting levy to online companies; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Helen Grant
I have not held any discussions with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills or UKRep on this issue. I am determined to extend the Horserace Betting Levy to offshore operators. However simply extending the existing arrangements has proven more difficult than envisaged. Extension is now bound up with wider reform and we will seek to bring about extension either by reforming the Levy or replacing it with a racing right.
A consultation on a racing right will allow us to make a full comparison between reform and replacement. The consultation will be launched early in the New Year. Once we have a preferred option we will discuss that with the European Commission.
Asked by: Clive Efford (Labour - Eltham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when he expects negotiations between his Department, UKRep and the European Commission on extending the horse racing betting levy to online companies to conclude; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Helen Grant
I have not held any discussions with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills or UKRep on this issue. I am determined to extend the Horserace Betting Levy to offshore operators. However simply extending the existing arrangements has proven more difficult than envisaged. Extension is now bound up with wider reform and we will seek to bring about extension either by reforming the Levy or replacing it with a racing right.
A consultation on a racing right will allow us to make a full comparison between reform and replacement. The consultation will be launched early in the New Year. Once we have a preferred option we will discuss that with the European Commission.
Asked by: Clive Efford (Labour - Eltham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to paragraph 2.113 of the Autumn Statement 2014, by what date he expects the consultation on the horse racing betting levy to be completed; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Helen Grant
I have not held any discussions with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills or UKRep on this issue. I am determined to extend the Horserace Betting Levy to offshore operators. However simply extending the existing arrangements has proven more difficult than envisaged. Extension is now bound up with wider reform and we will seek to bring about extension either by reforming the Levy or replacing it with a racing right.
A consultation on a racing right will allow us to make a full comparison between reform and replacement. The consultation will be launched early in the New Year. Once we have a preferred option we will discuss that with the European Commission.
Asked by: Clive Efford (Labour - Eltham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answers of 27 October 2014 to Questions 211478, 211477, 211479 and 211480, if he will publish the terms of reference of the expert working group on forging stronger links between football supporters and professional football clubs as soon as they are finalised; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Helen Grant
Ministers and officials meet with stakeholders across football on a regular basis. The Expert Working Group on Supporter Ownership and Engagement was developed in partnership with the football authorities and supporter representation groups and has their full support. The Group held its first meeting on the 25th November, and has issued a Call for Evidence and agreed Terms of Reference for the Group: these have been published on the DCMS website https://www.gov.uk/government/news/football-supporter-ownership-and-engagement-expert-working-group-issues-call-for-evidence
I expect initial recommendations from the Expert Group this parliament, and a full report later in 2015.
Asked by: Clive Efford (Labour - Eltham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many times since 1 October 2011 Ministers or officials in his Department met (a) the FA, (b) the Premier League, (c) the Football League, (d) Supporters Direct and (e) the Football Supporters Federation to discuss setting up the expert working group on forging stronger links between football supporters and professional football clubs; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Helen Grant
Ministers and officials meet with stakeholders across football on a regular basis. The Expert Working Group on Supporter Ownership and Engagement was developed in partnership with the football authorities and supporter representation groups and has their full support. The Group held its first meeting on the 25th November, and has issued a Call for Evidence and agreed Terms of Reference for the Group: these have been published on the DCMS website https://www.gov.uk/government/news/football-supporter-ownership-and-engagement-expert-working-group-issues-call-for-evidence
I expect initial recommendations from the Expert Group this parliament, and a full report later in 2015.