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Written Question
Football Index
Tuesday 20th September 2022

Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how investigations into the collapse of football index are progressing; when she expect those investigations to conclude; and if she will make a statement.

Answered by Damian Collins

In March 2021, the Gambling Commission launched an investigation into BetIndex, the operator of Football Index. This has now concluded and resulted in the revocation of BetIndex’s licence to operate.

Following information received from the administrators and the Gambling Commission, the Insolvency Service has confirmed that the conduct of Betindex Limited’s directors is currently being investigated by them. The progress and outcome of the investigation will depend on the evidence obtained. It will not be possible for the Insolvency Service to comment on the investigation while it is ongoing.


Written Question
Rescue Services: Fuels
Thursday 7th July 2022

Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of providing support with fuel costs to (a) mountain rescue teams, (b) the RNLI and (c) other voluntary organisations and their volunteers who provide vital public services as charities.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

We recognise this is a worrying time for many organisations, including charities, that are facing pressures due to the significant increases in global gas prices.

In the Chancellor’s Spring Statement, the government announced a temporary 12 month cut to duty on petrol and diesel of 5p per litre. This is the biggest cut, in cash terms, that has ever been applied across all fuel duty rates at once.

We will continue to monitor the impact of fuel costs on volunteers and voluntary sector organisations. More information on volunteers’ pay and expenses is available on GOV.UK.


Written Question
Broadband: North East
Tuesday 16th November 2021

Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the timescale is for the (a) procurement and (b) connections for the regional supplier procurements for Durham and Northumberland.

Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

As highlighted in our Project Gigabit Autumn Update, Durham, Tyneside and Teesside areas and Northumberland (Lots 4 and 34) are included in Phase 1a of Project Gigabit. These particular Lots will see procurement start as early as December 2021 before an estimated contract commencement date of November 2022.

Furthermore, in North Northumberland and Teesdale in County Durham, we have incorporated two of the most challenging rural areas into Local Supplier procurements, designed to be attractive to rural specialists active in the area. These Local Supplier procurements have an estimated start date of December 2021 before an estimated contract commencement date of June 2022.


Written Question
Gambling: Taxation
Friday 5th November 2021

Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has assessed the available data on gambling and gambling harm; and if she will bring forward proposals to fund the collection and assessment of those data through a statutory levy.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The government launched its Review of the Gambling Act 2005 on 8 December with the publication of Terms of Reference and a Call for Evidence. The Review is wide-ranging and aims to ensure that the regulation of gambling is fit for the digital age. The Call for Evidence included questions on the need for changes to the system of consumer redress, the appropriate mechanism for recouping the societal and regulatory costs of gambling and on barriers to high quality research. We will publish a white paper setting out our conclusions and vision for the sector in due course, and this will include an indication of how any changes will be implemented, whether by legislation or other means.

Public Health England’s review will be a valuable contribution to our Gambling Act Review and we are considering it carefully. Alongside the Review, we will work with the Department of Health and Social Care and key stakeholders to address the knowledge gaps identified in the evidence review and improve data collection more broadly.


Written Question
Gambling: Ombudsman
Friday 5th November 2021

Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether a gambling ombudsman could be established without primary legislation; and what plans she has for establishing such an ombudsman.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The government launched its Review of the Gambling Act 2005 on 8 December with the publication of Terms of Reference and a Call for Evidence. The Review is wide-ranging and aims to ensure that the regulation of gambling is fit for the digital age. The Call for Evidence included questions on the need for changes to the system of consumer redress, the appropriate mechanism for recouping the societal and regulatory costs of gambling and on barriers to high quality research. We will publish a white paper setting out our conclusions and vision for the sector in due course, and this will include an indication of how any changes will be implemented, whether by legislation or other means.

Public Health England’s review will be a valuable contribution to our Gambling Act Review and we are considering it carefully. Alongside the Review, we will work with the Department of Health and Social Care and key stakeholders to address the knowledge gaps identified in the evidence review and improve data collection more broadly.


Written Question
National Lottery: Licensing
Thursday 1st July 2021

Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the Gambling Commission on the Fourth National Lottery licence in relation to harm prevention and better protecting customers.

Answered by John Whittingdale

The competition for the fourth National Lottery licence is being run by the Gambling Commission. I have regular conversations with the Commission on their responsibilities in relation to the National Lottery including progress on the fourth licence competition.

The Licensee will be held fully accountable for protecting players. The successful applicant will have demonstrated high standards of player protection, including prevention of underage or excessive play, and the Commission will hold them accountable for their commitments during the licence period. The Commission will retain strong enforcement powers and, where necessary, will not hesitate to use them.


Written Question
National Lottery: Licensing
Thursday 1st July 2021

Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of requiring regular data reporting from the licensee as part of the Fourth National Lottery licence agreement.

Answered by John Whittingdale

The competition for the fourth National Lottery licence is being run by the Gambling Commission. The next licence will see changes to how the National Lottery is licensed and regulated.

The licensee will be required to provide a range of information to the Commission as part of its licence requirements, which will be used to hold them accountable for their performance during the licence period. The Commission will have the right to request additional information should this be necessary, including in relation to compliance risks or issues.


Written Question
UK City of Culture
Monday 14th June 2021

Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the (a) timeline and (b) criteria are for the 2025 City of Culture bidding process.

Answered by Caroline Dinenage

All bids for the 2025 UK City of Culture competition will be assessed against the following criteria: eligibility; placemaking; recovery and growth; levelling up; innovation; UK and international collaboration; partnership; legacy; sustainability.

The expression of interest is currently open and closes on July 19. Subsequent key dates include:

  • Announcement of the longlist bids in September

  • Deadline for the longlist applications in January

  • Visits to shortlisted places in spring 2022.

The competition will last for 12 months and we expect to announce the winning city in May 2022. For further details on the competition and bidding process, please visit the GOV.UK website.


Written Question
National Lottery
Monday 15th March 2021

Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the National Lottery Operator's discharge of its responsibilities on player protection.

Answered by John Whittingdale

As the independent regulator of the National Lottery, the Gambling Commission has a statutory responsibility to ensure that the interests of all National Lottery players are protected and that the National Lottery is run with all due propriety. Under the terms of the current National Lottery Licence the operator is required to implement player protection strategies to prevent underage and excessive play, which must be approved by the Gambling Commission.

In addition, the Gambling Commission conducts regular, detailed monitoring to identify risks to players, and where appropriate, undertakes strategic reviews of areas of the portfolio which are identified as higher (but not necessarily high) risk. Where evidence does emerge of an increased risk of problem play on National Lottery products, the Gambling Commission is quick to take action. In July 2020, the Gambling Commission removed all National Lottery Online Instant Win Games at the £10 price point, following the emergence of evidence showing an association between them and some problem gambling behaviours.

The Gambling Commission and the operator have been closely monitoring the developing trends during Covid-19. Data published by the Gambling Commission in February 2021, shows that online participation for National Lottery draws in the past four weeks, was 13.1% in the year to December 2020, up from 10.5% in the year to December 2019. Analysis indicates that the risk profile of online players has not increased over recent months. This continues to be kept under review.


Written Question
National Lottery: Coronavirus
Monday 15th March 2021

Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of changes in the level of playing National Lottery games online during the covid-19 outbreak; and what steps his Department is taking to help ensure adequate protections are in place to protect players online.

Answered by John Whittingdale

As the independent regulator of the National Lottery, the Gambling Commission has a statutory responsibility to ensure that the interests of all National Lottery players are protected and that the National Lottery is run with all due propriety. Under the terms of the current National Lottery Licence the operator is required to implement player protection strategies to prevent underage and excessive play, which must be approved by the Gambling Commission.

In addition, the Gambling Commission conducts regular, detailed monitoring to identify risks to players, and where appropriate, undertakes strategic reviews of areas of the portfolio which are identified as higher (but not necessarily high) risk. Where evidence does emerge of an increased risk of problem play on National Lottery products, the Gambling Commission is quick to take action. In July 2020, the Gambling Commission removed all National Lottery Online Instant Win Games at the £10 price point, following the emergence of evidence showing an association between them and some problem gambling behaviours.

The Gambling Commission and the operator have been closely monitoring the developing trends during Covid-19. Data published by the Gambling Commission in February 2021, shows that online participation for National Lottery draws in the past four weeks, was 13.1% in the year to December 2020, up from 10.5% in the year to December 2019. Analysis indicates that the risk profile of online players has not increased over recent months. This continues to be kept under review.