Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Gambling Commission requires gambling operators to disclose information on their overseas operations in order to gain a UK license.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Gambling operators providing services to customers in Great Britain must be licensed by the Gambling Commission and comply with the conditions of their operating licences. The Commission expects operators to obey the laws of all other jurisdictions in which they operate, and requires them to report any regulatory investigation or finding into their activities in any other jurisdiction.
Operators must inform the Commission if they have a substantial customer base outside of Britain and state why they consider themselves legally able to offer facilities to those customers. It is for authorities in other jurisdictions to investigate whether operators are complying with their gambling laws, but where a licensee is found to be operating illegally overseas, the Commission may consider their suitability to hold a licence in Britain.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is responsible for regulating advertising in the UK, and operates independently of the Government. There are a range of robust rules in place through the Advertising Codes enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to ensure that gambling advertising and marketing is socially responsible and does not exacerbate harm.
Compliance with the Codes is required as part of Gambling Commission licence conditions. The ASA continually reviews the best available evidence to ensure rules are effective and updates protections as required.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
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 potential implications for its policies of the findings of the Northern Ireland Executive Department for Communities' Prevalence of gambling in Northern Ireland 2024 survey, published on 30 April 2025, on (a) attitudes to and (b) frequency of gambling.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
We are committed to reviewing the best available evidence from a wide range of sources and working with all stakeholders in order to ensure there are robust protections in place to protect those at risk of gambling related harm, particularly children and young people. While gambling is a devolved matter for Northern Ireland and regulation is thus a consideration for the Northern Ireland Executive, the department has noted the findings on prevalence and consequences of gambling from the Department for Communities' 2024 Northern Ireland Gambling Prevalence Survey.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce the prevalence of gambling among children and young people in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
We are committed to reviewing the best available evidence from a wide range of sources and working with all stakeholders in order to ensure there are robust protections in place to protect those at risk of gambling related harm, particularly children and young people. While gambling is a devolved matter for Northern Ireland and regulation is thus a consideration for the Northern Ireland Executive, the department has noted the findings on prevalence and consequences of gambling from the Department for Communities' 2024 Northern Ireland Gambling Prevalence Survey.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she is considering the future of terrestrial TV distribution in the BBC Charter review.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
As the media landscape undergoes the next generational shift, the BBC too must adapt and be supported to do so.
The forthcoming Charter Review is a key opportunity to set the BBC up for success long into the future. It will look at a range of issues to make sure the BBC truly represents and delivers for every person in this country, including the BBC’s services and their distribution.
The BBC also sits on the Future of TV Distribution Stakeholder Forum, which brings together Government, Ofcom and stakeholders, representing both audiences and industry, to consider issues related to distribution.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made an estimate of the financial support required for people to continue watching television when terrestrial television licenses expire in 2034.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government’s project on the future of TV distribution is seeking to understand how people receive their television now and in the next decade. This will include assessing the advantages of hybrid television distribution models, as well as other options such as IPTV transition. As part of this process, a wide range of views are being sought on all of the options.
Before any decision is made in relation to the availability of services beyond 2034, close consideration will be given to how any changes would impact audiences, and especially those who rely on digital terrestrial television as their primary means of watching television. DCMS recently commissioned research to understand the barriers preventing DTT only users from adopting IPTV, the motivations and enablers that led others to make the switch, and how these factors vary across demographic groups. This will help the Department assess any potential impacts and support that may be needed, should there be a future transition to IPTV.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of retaining the hybrid model of television distribution.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government’s project on the future of TV distribution is seeking to understand how people receive their television now and in the next decade. This will include assessing the advantages of hybrid television distribution models, as well as other options such as IPTV transition. As part of this process, a wide range of views are being sought on all of the options.
Before any decision is made in relation to the availability of services beyond 2034, close consideration will be given to how any changes would impact audiences, and especially those who rely on digital terrestrial television as their primary means of watching television. DCMS recently commissioned research to understand the barriers preventing DTT only users from adopting IPTV, the motivations and enablers that led others to make the switch, and how these factors vary across demographic groups. This will help the Department assess any potential impacts and support that may be needed, should there be a future transition to IPTV.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the future of terrestrial TV distribution in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government’s project on the future of TV distribution is seeking to understand how people receive their television now and in the next decade. As part of this process, a wide range of views are being sought. Membership of the Stakeholder Forum includes a range of broadcasters active in Northern Ireland, including the BBC (who operate BBC Northern Ireland) and ITV (who operate UTV). The forum also benefits from the perspectives of a number of groups representing the interests of Northern Irish and UK-wide audiences, such as Voice of the Listener and Viewer, Digital Poverty Alliance and Silver Voices.
The Government will engage with the devolved governments to understand the unique characteristics of broadcasting in each nation well in advance of any decision being taken.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure that Northern Ireland is represented in her Department's Future of TV Distribution Stakeholder Forum.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government’s project on the future of TV distribution is seeking to understand how people receive their television now and in the next decade. As part of this process, a wide range of views are being sought. Membership of the Stakeholder Forum includes a range of broadcasters active in Northern Ireland, including the BBC (who operate BBC Northern Ireland) and ITV (who operate UTV). The forum also benefits from the perspectives of a number of groups representing the interests of Northern Irish and UK-wide audiences, such as Voice of the Listener and Viewer, Digital Poverty Alliance and Silver Voices.
The Government will engage with the devolved governments to understand the unique characteristics of broadcasting in each nation well in advance of any decision being taken.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the future of terrestrial TV distribution in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government’s project on the future of TV distribution is seeking to understand how people receive their television now and in the next decade. As part of this process, a wide range of views are being sought. Membership of the Stakeholder Forum includes a range of broadcasters active in Northern Ireland, including the BBC (who operate BBC Northern Ireland) and ITV (who operate UTV). The forum also benefits from the perspectives of a number of groups representing the interests of Northern Irish and UK-wide audiences, such as Voice of the Listener and Viewer, Digital Poverty Alliance and Silver Voices.
The Government will engage with the devolved governments to understand the unique characteristics of broadcasting in each nation well in advance of any decision being taken.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
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 need for longitudinal research into the impact of online gambling on children and young people.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The government would welcome new longitudinal research on this topic to further build our evidence base to inform our understanding of children and young people’s gambling behaviour and harm in Great Britain.
The statutory levy on licensed gambling operators came into force on 6 April and will raise around £100 million each year. We have committed up to £20m of levy funding for quality, independent research overseen by UK Research and Innovation. This could include further work on longitudinal studies.
We continue to monitor the best available evidence to assess the impact of online gambling on children and young people.