Viscount Astor

The Government is reviewing the Gambling Act 2005 to ensure it remains fit for the digital age. As part of its broad scope, the review called for evidence on the size of the black market for gambling in Great Britain and the ease with which consumers could access illegal gambling websites. The report by PwC on unlicensed gambling will be considered as part of the review.

The Gambling Commission assesses information gathered from multiple sources and works closely with partner agencies to prevent access to illegal websites by consumers in Great Britain. If the Commission decides to take action against an illegal operator, it will initially issue a Cease and Desist letter. If this action does not prove successful, it will use disruption techniques, which includes using its relationships with web-hosting companies to suspend or IP-block consumers in Great Britain from accessing websites, contacting payment providers to remove payment services, and liaising with social media sites to prevent websites appearing on search engines or being hosted. The Commission will also use some of the additional income that it is receiving from its recent fees uplift to increase its ability to tackle illegal gambling.

The Commission is aware that some illegal websites are targeted at people who experience significant harms from their gambling and self-excluded gamblers. The Commission is particularly focused on identifying and disrupting these illegal operators.

The Government is reviewing the Gambling Act 2005 to ensure it remains fit for the digital age. As part of its broad scope, the review called for evidence on the size of the black market for gambling in Great Britain and the ease with which consumers could access illegal gambling websites. The report by PwC on unlicensed gambling will be considered as part of the review.

The Gambling Commission assesses information gathered from multiple sources and works closely with partner agencies to prevent access to illegal websites by consumers in Great Britain. If the Commission decides to take action against an illegal operator, it will initially issue a Cease and Desist letter. If this action does not prove successful, it will use disruption techniques, which includes using its relationships with web-hosting companies to suspend or IP-block consumers in Great Britain from accessing websites, contacting payment providers to remove payment services, and liaising with social media sites to prevent websites appearing on search engines or being hosted. The Commission will also use some of the additional income that it is receiving from its recent fees uplift to increase its ability to tackle illegal gambling.

The Commission is aware that some illegal websites are targeted at people who experience significant harms from their gambling and self-excluded gamblers. The Commission is particularly focused on identifying and disrupting these illegal operators.

The Government is reviewing the Gambling Act 2005 to ensure it remains fit for the digital age. As part of its broad scope, the review called for evidence on the size of the black market for gambling in Great Britain and the ease with which consumers could access illegal gambling websites. The report by PwC on unlicensed gambling will be considered as part of the review.

The Gambling Commission assesses information gathered from multiple sources and works closely with partner agencies to prevent access to illegal websites by consumers in Great Britain. If the Commission decides to take action against an illegal operator, it will initially issue a Cease and Desist letter. If this action does not prove successful, it will use disruption techniques, which includes using its relationships with web-hosting companies to suspend or IP-block consumers in Great Britain from accessing websites, contacting payment providers to remove payment services, and liaising with social media sites to prevent websites appearing on search engines or being hosted. The Commission will also use some of the additional income that it is receiving from its recent fees uplift to increase its ability to tackle illegal gambling.

The Commission is aware that some illegal websites are targeted at people who experience significant harms from their gambling and self-excluded gamblers. The Commission is particularly focused on identifying and disrupting these illegal operators.

HS2 Ltd have been in consultation with the local authority Buckinghamshire Council about the impact of the Small Dean Viaduct at Wendover on A413 traffic flow. Agreed arrangements have been made so that the flow of the traffic underneath the viaduct will not be adversely affected. This has also been satisfied by road safety regulations.

In 2019 HS2 Ltd undertook a review of the design of the Small Dean Viaduct spanning the A413 south of Wendover with consideration for futureproofing the A413 for future growth. Currently the A413 is single carriageway. Public feedback has been taken through engagement events. In response to the study HS2 Ltd have confirmed that the building of the viaduct will not inhibit any future road widening of the A413. The outcome from this design review has shown that the dualling of the A413 can still be carried out with the viaduct in place, outside the remit of the HS2 programme. Moreover, the building of the viaduct will not inhibit future local authority development plans.

The outcome of this study has been reviewed by the local planning and highway authorities who are satisfied with this review and have no objection to the planned design of the proposed highway and viaduct design.

The local and route-wide sound, noise and vibration effects arising from the operation of HS2 were set out in the Environmental Statements for Phase One and Phase 2a. The predictions used in the assessments were based on noise and vibration models extensively validated against measurements of existing high-speed trains in the UK and abroad and supplemented with reasonably foreseeable worst case assumptions about the noise emitted by HS2 trains. Both Houses scrutinised such effects before passing the High- Speed Rail (London to West Midlands) 2017.

The Department for Transport has incorporated the Infrastructure and Projects Authority top-down benchmarking methodology for tunnelling, developed in partnership with the British Tunnelling Society, as part of the Transport Infrastructure Efficiency Strategy benchmarking initiative.

The proposal for the short-mined tunnel at Wendover was rejected by the Government in 2018. We do not believe that this historical decision would have been any different had this methodology been applied at the time. The decision to reject the proposed short-mined tunnel at Wendover was based on the estimated cost of mitigating the poor ground conditions in the area of the proposed tunnel.

HS2 Ltd used both of the reports referred to at (1) and (2) as guides to the development of cost estimates for the tunnels on the Phase One route. Both reports are principally focussed on bored tunnels, and their application to cost estimate development for a mined tunnel would be limited. HS2 Ltd did however develop a bottom-up cost estimate of a mined tunnel in the Wendover area, to aid options analysis.

When proposals for a mined tunnel at Wendover were re-submitted to the Department by mbpc Ltd on behalf of Wendover Parish Council after Royal Assent had been granted, HS2 Ltd subsequently undertook a separate comparative line by line cost analysis of the mbpc proposal, prior to the Department rejecting the mined tunnel proposal in 2018.

Producing a further bottom-up estimate with contractor involvement (following the Main Works Civils Contracts award in July 2017) was rejected in October 2018 on the grounds of cost, and this was communicated in writing to the constituency MP at that time.

Since Royal Assent for Phase One in 2017, and in line with best practice for any major infrastructure investment, HS2 Ltd has undertaken and completed a comprehensive review of scope ahead of HMG awarding Notice to Proceed in April 2020. This review concluded that the high-level design and scope of the programme was appropriate for meeting the scheme’s business case objectives. Overall, the maturity of design for the scheme has developed significantly, moving from high-level designs for the scheme in 2017 to shovel-ready designs for the major civils works in 2020. In some cases, this maturing design has resulted in localised changes in specification, design and scope. However, these changes do not impact on the overall commitment to meet the scheme’s objectives.

Before the move to virtual proceedings one minute speaking time limits were very rare. Before Easter of this year there had not been one since 2016.

An inevitable consequence of lockdown has been that members have had more time to take part in debates. There has not been a corresponding increase in the amount of parliamentary time available. In fact, because of the public health, administrative and broadcasting constraints the House is working under there has been a reduction in the amount of time available.

Members can see how many others are signed up to speak so are able to make an informed decision as to whether they wish to contribute.

(1) The information requested is not available: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not make an estimate of the amount of revenue lost through illegal online gambling.

HMRC estimates the tax gap[1], the difference between the amount of tax that should, in theory, be paid to HMRC, and what is actually paid. For the tax year 2019 to 2020, the other excise duties tax gap, which includes betting and gaming, cider and perry, spirits-based ready-to-drink beverages and wine duties was £610 million.

(2) The Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB)[2] is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport; and is required to collect a statutory levy, the Horserace Betting Levy. The information requested is not available from HMRC.

[1] Tax gap statistics are available at: Measuring tax gaps - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

[2] Horserace Betting Levy Board has a separate website: https://www.hblb.org.uk/