Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans she has to review the effect of alcohol advertising on 10 to 15-year-olds following the recent report from Public Health England on alcohol control policies.
Answered by Matt Hancock
Government is committed to working with industry to address concerns over irresponsible alcohol promotions, advertising and marketing, particularly to ensure vulnerable people are protected. Current industry codes are exceptionally robust, recognising the social imperative of ensuring alcohol advertising is responsible. The Advertising Standards Authority reviews its codes regularly to ensure they remain effective.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many responses her Department received to the call for evidence on the Review of Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility Measures.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
The Call for Evidence on the Review of Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility received 275 responses.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of fixed odds betting terminals on the wider gambling industry.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
I announced a review of gaming machines and social responsibility measures on 24 October. This will include a close look at Fixed Odds Betting Terminals. This is the correct mechanism to look again at this issue.
I have regular meetings with all interested parties on this and other related matters.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had on proposals to reduce the maximum bet per spin for fixed odds betting terminals to £2.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
I announced a review of gaming machines and social responsibility measures on 24 October. This will include a close look at Fixed Odds Betting Terminals. This is the correct mechanism to look again at this issue.
I have regular meetings with all interested parties on this and other related matters.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of first stake free offers on (a) the incidence of gambling addiction amongst (i) children and young people and (ii) other people and (b) people who already have such an addiction.
Answered by David Evennett
The Government remains committed to ensuring that people are protected from being harmed or exploited by gambling. As part of this, following a review of its Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice, last year the Gambling Commission introduced a range of measures to ensure that marketing and advertising is socially responsible. This included a new requirement that the marketing of ‘free bet’ offers is open, transparent and not misleading.
The Government remains alive to concerns in this area and continues to make clear to the gambling industry that it expects them to demonstrate that they are improving existing player protection initiatives and evaluating the effects of previous initiatives.
Looking ahead, the Responsible Gambling Strategy Board have identified this as a priority area for research. The Responsible Gambling Trust is therefore preparing to conduct research into the impact of marketing and advertising on young people’s gambling perceptions, attitudes and behaviour.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, after how long it is his policy to take action when a local planning authority has not produced a playing pitch strategy; and what powers his Department has to taken such action after that period.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
Sport England, which helps local authorities develop and implement Playing Pitch Strategies to protect existing playing fields as well as meet future demand, recommends that the strategy should be updated every three years. In its role as statutory consultee, Sport England also monitors the number of planning applications that have an impact on playing fields and objects where it believes local sports provision could be harmed. As set out in our sports strategy, published last month, this Government is committed to improving the quality of community sports facilities.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what statutory requirements are placed on local authorities to produce a playing pitch strategy; and within what timeframe such authorities are required to produce such plans.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
Local planning authorities are required to follow national planning policy set out in the National Planning Policy Framework.
Sport England is a statutory consultee on all planning applications affecting playing fields, and demands that developers prove their applications will improve or safeguard sports provision. Landowners, including councils, are required to consult Sport England on any proposed development that would affect or lead to the loss of a sports playing field.
Sport England objects to all applications unless the developer can prove it will improve.
The latest figures, compiled by Sport England which works to safeguard playing fields for community use, show that 92 per cent of all resolved planning applications involving a playing field in 2013/14 resulted in improved or secured facilities.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to support the provision of playing pitches in local areas for community requirements.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
We recognise the importance of playing pitches for local communities. Sport England is a statutory consultee on planning applications affecting playing fields and its principle aim is to ensure local sports provisions are protected and enhanced. Sport England’s Protecting Playing Fields fund has invested £22 million of National Lottery money in 419 projects, protecting and improving over 1,100 local pitches. This includes Elworth Cricket Club in Congleton, which benefitted from over £47,000 of investment from Sport England in 2015 to develop a new playing field for its junior cricket team.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the proportion of online pornography accessed in the UK which is from websites based (a) in and (b) outside the UK.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
I have not made an estimate, however Government is aware that pornographic content online originates from many countries across the world, and has taken this into account in developing policy supporting network level filters.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he plans to take to stop children's exposure to harmful sexualised content online by requiring age verification for relevant websites for websites based (a) in and (b) outside the UK.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
The Government is considering its approach to delivering this commitment, and will share its plans in due course. Helping parents to protect their children from inappropriate and harmful content online remains a top priority, building on measures implemented under the previous Government including easy to use parental control filters in the home.
Ministers will engage with the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) and other key stakeholders as they develop this policy.