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 ensure that the statutory gambling levy takes a public health approach.

In our response to the consultation on the statutory levy, we set out the levy’s overarching principles to ensure that the lead commissioning bodies are supporting the government in delivering on our vision for the future system. This includes a coordinated approach to prevention at the local, regional and national level and providing investment to develop and deliver harm reduction activities across Great Britain.

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities holds responsibilities for prevention programme design and commissioning in England, alongside appropriate bodies in Scotland and Wales. We are collectively committed to ensuring the levy system is effective, evidence-based and aligned with wider public health principles.