Oral Answers to Questions

John Cryer Excerpts

Thursday 30th January 2014 Commons Chamber

[Maria Miller]

I welcome my hon. Friend’s question, and join him in congratulating Charlotte Edwards and her team on doing what the men could not do.

[John Cryer (Leyton and Wanstead) (Lab)]

Further to Question 11, would it not be sensible to give councils the power to say that there must be no more gambling shops in their areas because saturation point has been reached? That would not mean stopping gambling shops per se; it would merely impose a limit which does not exist in planning legislation at present, whatever the Minister may think.

[Mrs Grant]

I am afraid that I fundamentally disagree with the hon. Gentleman. There are powers in the form of article 4 directions, which can be and have been used successfully.

[John Cryer]

They do not work.

[Mrs Grant]

They do work, and they have been used very successfully in relation to both Southwark and Barking and Dagenham. I remind the hon. Gentleman that Newham council also used licensing conditions to control unacceptable activities in betting shops.