Mentions:
1: Lord Foster of Bath (LD - Life peer) I believe that a public health approach to gambling should lead to significant curbs on advertising and - Speech Link
2: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green - Life peer) We can see the focus there on health. - Speech Link
3: Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Con - Life peer) We are also working with the Department of Health and Social Care and the Gambling Commission to develop - Speech Link
Mentions:
1: Dowey, Sharon (Con - South Scotland) Practices in Ayrshire are closing due to a lack of GPs, and services at local hospitals are being downgraded - Speech Link
2: Grant, Rhoda (Lab - Highlands and Islands) Therefore, services are being withdrawn then being provided by very expensive locums. - Speech Link
3: Minto, Jenni (SNP - Argyll and Bute) of services, including those signposted on NHS Inform, primary care services, mental health services - Speech Link
4: Stewart, Kevin (SNP - Aberdeen Central) Covid has exacerbated the harms from gambling, with more women now reporting that they have a gambling - Speech Link
Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they have in place to improve coordination between schools, colleges, universities and support services to better assist students struggling with gambling addiction.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is committed to tackling gambling-related harms. While education settings are not mental health or gambling-related harm specialists, they are well placed to identify where a child or young person is struggling and help them to access support, linking them to NHS support and specialist services as needed.
Where gambling problems are affecting the mental health of young people, our programme of Mental Health Support Teams and senior mental health lead training supports schools and colleges to identify individuals in need of further support and make effective referrals to external agencies, to help young people get appropriate, timely support.
The department works closely with the higher education (HE) sector to promote and fund effective mental health support for university students. £15 million of funding this year from the Office for Students (OfS) will go to mental health support and the OfS-funded Student Space continues to provide students with free online mental health resources and confidential support on a range of topics, including addiction support. The OfS has also brought together HE providers and NHS trusts across each region in England to deliver better join up between university wellbeing support and NHS services.
Additionally, schools, colleges and universities have access to the NHS webpage 'Help for problem gambling'. This covers common indicators which could help identify whether individuals may be experiencing gambling-related harm, as well as providing initial signposting to the sources of support available to those in need. A link to the webpage can be found here: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/addiction-support/gambling-addiction/.
As part of the NHS Long Term Plan commitment to expand geographical coverage of treatment for those experiencing gambling-related harm, the National Problem Gambling Clinic in London offers specialist treatment and support for children and young people.
The government White Paper ‘High stakes: gambling reform for the digital age’, published in April 2023, announced the introduction of a statutory levy on gambling operators to fund the research, prevention and treatment of gambling-related harms. This presents an opportunity to consider how best to improve awareness and understanding of gambling-related harms amongst young people, and how to ensure availability of effective support across all educational settings.
Mentions:
1: Ronnie Cowan (SNP - Inverclyde) We need to understand the nature of addiction and see it as a health issue. - Speech Link
2: Rachel Hopkins (Lab - Luton South) I reiterate the point already made, that this is a public health issue. - Speech Link
3: Jim Shannon (DUP - Strangford) I urge people to take advantage of all these services for the sake of their own health and wellbeing. - Speech Link
4: Paul Blomfield (Lab - Sheffield Central) issue, and what do we do with other health problems? - Speech Link
5: Stuart Andrew (Con - Pudsey) The commercial income raised from gambling sponsorship will provide grassroots services that genuinely - Speech Link
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 14 March 2024 to Question 17496 on Mental Health Services: Veterans, for what reason NHS England does not hold data on the number of veterans with gambling addictions who have used Op Courage services.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Prior to April 2023, Op COURAGE was formed from the three separate services of the Transition, Intervention and Liaison service, the Complex Treatment Service, and the High Intensity Service. Performance data for these services did not collect uniquely identifiable information on individual veterans, so it would not be possible to identify instances where a veteran had attended Op COURAGE for more than one course of treatment.
No data is held on the numbers of veterans with gambling addictions that have used Op COURAGE. Data analysed includes the primary mental health reason for referral to Op COURAGE. From April 2023, there have been no referrals to Op COURAGE with a primary mental health reason of gambling addiction. Since April 2023, less than 1.5% of referrals to Op COURAGE have been with a primary mental health reason of either obsessive-compulsive disorder or drug or alcohol difficulties.
Between August 2021 and September 2024, £339,000 has been allocated across the three social prescribing pilot projects which are in Cornwall, Durham, and Dorset. The National Health Service provides wellbeing support to all full-time carers. Veterans who identify as a carer are offered a Carer’s Assessment, which is undertaken by local authorities. The outcome of the Carer’s Assessment will inform a care and support plan, which is bespoke to the needs of the carer.
The Better Care Fund in 2023/24 includes £327 million for carers support, including short breaks and respite services for carers. It also funds advice and support to carers and a small number of additional local authority duties. There is no data on how much of that funding may have been used for veterans.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address the risks posed by the use of artificial intelligence in the gambling industry, particularly (1) problem gambling, (2) addiction, and (3) mental health issues.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Gambling Commission, Great Britain’s statutory regulator, continues to monitor industry developments in artificial intelligence, informed by the expertise of its Digital Advisory Panel. This includes the exploration and consideration of the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning by gambling operators, and engagement with the industry better to understand their uses of AI. The Gambling Commission will continue to increase its capacity and capability to deploy data science in its regulation through the formation of a new Data Innovation Hub.
All gambling operators which provide gambling services to customers in Great Britain must be licensed by the Gambling Commission, and must comply with its codes of practice. The social responsibility code requires them to have and to put into effect policies and procedures to promote socially responsible gambling. These should reduce the risk of, and seek to identify those struggling with, problem gambling. The Gambling Commission has the power to remove an operating licence where a gambling business is deploying AI in a manner that undermines the statutory licensing objectives and duties.
Mentions:
1: None Audit Scotland’s 2023 report on adult mental health acknowledged that mental health services cannot address - Speech Link
2: None Many of those calls are directed by people who are getting support from mental health services. - Speech Link
3: None There is increased recognition that gambling harms are a public health issue, but, as you alluded to - Speech Link
4: None For Public Health Scotland, gambling is a significant public health issue, because there is a clear tie - Speech Link
5: None just those in mental health services, but those in education, jobcentres, housing support and other - Speech Link
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2024 to Question 12907 on Mental Health Services: Veterans, if she will make an estimate of the number of veterans with gambling addictions that have used Op COURAGE since its inception.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
NHS England commissions Op COURAGE, which provides a comprehensive mental health service for veterans. Since its inception in 2017, over 35,000 referrals have been made to Op COURAGE. NHS England does not hold data on the number of veterans who have accessed Op COURAGE services on more than one occasion, or the numbers of veterans with gambling additions that have used Op COURAGE.
NHS England has commissioned three pilot sites to explore and evaluate the merits of social prescribing in the Armed Forces Community. The outcome of the evaluation is planned for Autumn 2024, and the findings will inform a toolkit which can be used by other social prescribing teams.
Mentions:
1: Constance, Angela (SNP - Almond Valley) Ensuring access to health and other support services at each point in the justice system is therefore - Speech Link
2: Constance, Angela (SNP - Almond Valley) harm, such as raising the legal age of gambling or reviewing how gambling appeals to young people.In - Speech Link
3: Hyslop, Fiona (SNP - Linlithgow) owners to ensure that they comply with the regulations so that they provide EV drivers with the reliable services - Speech Link
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2024 to Question 17496 on Mental Health Services: Veterans, for what reason NHS England does not hold data on the number of veterans who have used Op Courage services more than once.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Prior to April 2023, Op COURAGE was formed from the three separate services of the Transition, Intervention and Liaison service, the Complex Treatment Service, and the High Intensity Service. Performance data for these services did not collect uniquely identifiable information on individual veterans, so it would not be possible to identify instances where a veteran had attended Op COURAGE for more than one course of treatment.
No data is held on the numbers of veterans with gambling addictions that have used Op COURAGE. Data analysed includes the primary mental health reason for referral to Op COURAGE. From April 2023, there have been no referrals to Op COURAGE with a primary mental health reason of gambling addiction. Since April 2023, less than 1.5% of referrals to Op COURAGE have been with a primary mental health reason of either obsessive-compulsive disorder or drug or alcohol difficulties.
Between August 2021 and September 2024, £339,000 has been allocated across the three social prescribing pilot projects which are in Cornwall, Durham, and Dorset. The National Health Service provides wellbeing support to all full-time carers. Veterans who identify as a carer are offered a Carer’s Assessment, which is undertaken by local authorities. The outcome of the Carer’s Assessment will inform a care and support plan, which is bespoke to the needs of the carer.
The Better Care Fund in 2023/24 includes £327 million for carers support, including short breaks and respite services for carers. It also funds advice and support to carers and a small number of additional local authority duties. There is no data on how much of that funding may have been used for veterans.