Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement UIN HCWS1118, of 2 December 2025, and the transition to the statutory gambling levy system and consequential changes in April 2026, what steps he is taking to safeguard charities providing gambling harm reduction and treatment.

In April, the new statutory levy on gambling operators came into effect to fund the research, prevention, and treatment of gambling-related harm. NHS England and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) are working collaboratively on the development of their respective gambling treatment and prevention programmes in England during this transition period.

To maintain continuity, commissioners are working with GambleAware on a managed transition, which includes the extension of GambleAware’s system stabilisation funding until March 2026, ensuring existing charities can continue to support people seeking help.

In January 2026, OHID will formally launch its Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Gambling Harms Prevention and Resilience grant for those voluntary, community, and social enterprise organisations wishing to deliver prevention activity over the next two years, following a market engagement process which will end in the new year. Funding will be released from April 2026.

National Health Service regional gambling services currently receive over 1,000 referrals each quarter, with plans to extend capacity. NHS England intends to run a grant funding scheme for voluntary, community, and social enterprise treatment and support services. This will ensure that those affected by gambling-related harms can continue to access much-needed third sector services, whilst integrated care boards look to implement longer-term commissioning arrangements.