Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what requests he has received from the Scottish Government on the devolution of powers in whole or in part over broadcasting.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The Government has not received any requests from the Scottish Government on the devolution of powers in whole or in part over broadcasting.
The UK government is committed to showcasing the importance of the UK’s broadcasters as part of a stronger, global Britain.
Broadcasting is a reserved matter and there are a number of well established structures in place such as the Advisory Committee for Scotland which ensures that Ofcom, the UK’s independent communications regulator which regulates UK broadcasting, takes into account the interests and views of people living in Scotland.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much Government funding has been awarded to the racing industry to support race horse welfare and race horse upkeep during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by John Whittingdale
On 17 April 2020, the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) and Racing Foundation agreed an immediate cash flow and hardship support package to support racing, of which HBLB contributed £20m and the Racing Foundation £8m. The Racing Foundation’s funding supported participants such as jockeys and trainers directly, while the HBLB provided grants and capital loans to courses. HBLB has also increased its contributions to prize money by 50% during the pandemic to mitigate lower amounts made available by courses due to Covid. As well as funding welfare projects directly, HBLB’s contributions to prize money enable the industry to maintain fixture lists and field sizes, which in turn facilitates investment in equine welfare.
On 19 November 2020 the Government announced a rescue package worth £300 million to help major spectator sports including horse racing which were affected by the coronavirus pandemic. As a summer sport, horse racing is also expected to benefit from a further £300m for the recovery package across all sports including horseracing that was announced in the recent budget.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the revenue accruing to the public purse from ticket sales for Festival UK 2022.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
There are no plans to sell tickets for any events in Festival UK 2022.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much of the £120 million budget for Festival UK 2022 he plans to allocate to (a) Scotland, (b) the Queen's Platinum celebrations, (c) the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and (d) Coventry City of Culture.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
£120 million has been announced for Festival UK 2022. There are Barnett allocations to Scotland and the other home nations from the £120 million budget, which is administered by HM Treasury. None of this funding has been allocated to The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, or Coventry City of Culture.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will undertake a risk assessment of the potential increase in unregulated betting activity on sport as a result of the Gambling Commission’s affordability proposals.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Data released by the Gambling Commission in May 2020 suggested that the scale of the black market had remained low and stable, with little variation in the number of complaints it had received about illegal gambling websites over the previous 12 months. The Commission’s enforcement approach includes working with web hosting companies and search engines to remove sites or prevent them appearing on searches, and working with payment providers to prevent payments to unlicensed operators. It also has powers to prosecute or refer issues to partner agencies such as HMRC where necessary.
The government’s Review of the Gambling Act 2005 has called for evidence on issues around unlicensed gambling, and we are aware of the recent report commissioned by the Betting and Gaming Council. We are also consulting on a proposed uplift to Gambling Commission licence fees, which will strengthen the resources it has to identify the scale of and tackle illegal gambling.
The Gambling Commission requires operators to monitor play and to intervene where players may be at risk of harm. Its consultation and call for evidence on Remote Customer Interaction is considering whether further requirements are needed for how operators identify and interact with customers who may be at risk.
The Commission will be led by the evidence it receives in deciding its next steps, and its findings may also inform its advice to government on the Gambling Act Review. Following a one month extension to allow extra evidence to be submitted, the deadline for submissions is now 9 February.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the estimated costs are of holding Festival UK 2022.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The announced budget for the Festival UK 2022 is £120 million, which includes the Barnett share to the devolved nations.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to his Answer to the Oral Question asked by the hon Member for East Lothian on 10 December, Official Report, col 980, what assessment the Government made of the level of exposure of people under the age of 18 to alcohol marketing (a) on social media and (b) online more widely.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The Government is committed to working with industry to address concerns over any irresponsible promotions, advertising and marketing relating to alcohol, particularly to ensure that children and young people are suitably protected.
Material in the Committee of Advertising Practice and Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice Codes relating to the advertising and marketing of alcohol products is exceptionally robust, recognising the social imperative of ensuring that alcohol advertising is responsible and in particular that children and young people are suitably protected.
The government is committed to making the UK a safe place to be online. The Online Advertising Programme was established in order to foster fair, transparent and ethical online advertising that works for citizens, businesses and society as a whole.
The Programme is currently reviewing evidence from the relevant literature, stakeholder engagement and responses to its recent Call for Evidence. This Call for Evidence is focussed on ensuring standards about the placement and content of advertising can be effectively applied and enforced online so that consumers have limited exposure to harmful or misleading advertising.