Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many times the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy has visited bingo halls since his appointment.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
During his appointment as Minister for Technology and the Digital Economy, Chris Philp MP did not visit any bingo halls. As part of the Review of the Gambling Act 2005, he carefully considered evidence submitted by the bingo industry and held a roundtable discussion, which included the Bingo Association and industry representatives, on 24 November 2021. Officials from the department also visited a bingo hall in Stevenage in November 2021.
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many visits the Chief Executive of the Gambling Commission has made since his appointment to (a) casinos, (b) betting shops, (c) online gambling companies, (d) bingo halls, (e) adult gaming centres and (f) family entertainment centres.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The total number of visits made to each type of premise requested since the Chief Executive’s appointment in June 2021 is detailed below.
Number of visits made by the Chief Executive of the Gambling Commission since appointment | ||||||
Type of premises | Casinos | Betting shops | Online gambling companies | Bingo halls | Adult gaming centres | Family entertainment centres |
Number of visits | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
Visits to premises are only one form of engagement with licensees that the Chief Executive undertakes. He has focussed stakeholder plans each year to reach a broad range of stakeholders, including regular meetings with CEOs and trade bodies, speaking at events and attending industry conferences. Since his appointment the Chief Executive has had 9 meetings with online operators and 13 with representatives of trade bodies, as well as speaking at events such as trade shows and trade body AGMs, to reach more operators. There is a further programme of engagement for the year ahead which includes more premises visits following disruptions caused by Covid in 2021 and 2022.
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a bespoke financial support package for bingo clubs.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The government recognises that the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to be very challenging for businesses, including in the bingo sector. In recognition of the impact of requiring some businesses to remain closed for a longer period, an enhanced package of support was introduced, including Restart Grants of up to £18,000 per premises, specifically for those which were required to remain closed beyond Step 2. The package also included extensions to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, with further discretionary funding for allocation by Local Authorities.
Bingo clubs have accessed £44m of government support via the Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme (£26.8m), Eat Out to Help Out (£600k), Business Rates Relief (£15.9m) and Grant funding (£1.6m). We are continuing to work with organisations in the land-based gambling sector to understand the impacts now that they are open.
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has plans to introduce additional financial support for bingo clubs in England.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The government recognises that the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to be very challenging for businesses, including in the bingo sector. In recognition of the impact of requiring some businesses to remain closed for a longer period, an enhanced package of support was introduced, including Restart Grants of up to £18,000 per premises, specifically for those which were required to remain closed beyond Step 2. The package also included extensions to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, with further discretionary funding for allocation by Local Authorities.
Bingo clubs have accessed £44m of government support via the Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme (£26.8m), Eat Out to Help Out (£600k), Business Rates Relief (£15.9m) and Grant funding (£1.6m). We are continuing to work with organisations in the land-based gambling sector to understand the impacts now that they are open.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government has made an assessment of the reasons for the closure of 39 bingo clubs across the UK during the outbreak of covid-19.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The government recognises that the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to be extremely challenging for businesses, including in the bingo sector. In recognition of the impact of requiring some businesses to remain closed for a longer period, an enhanced package of support was introduced, including Restart Grants of up to £18,000 per premises, specifically for those which were required to remain closed beyond Step 2. The package also included extensions to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, with further discretionary funding for allocation by Local Authorities. Bingo clubs have accessed £44m of government support via the Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme (£26.8m), Eat Out to Help Out (£600k), Business Rates Relief (£15.9m) and Grant funding (£1.6m). We are continuing to work with organisations in the land-based gambling sector to understand the impacts and how we may be able to support them.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will allocate sector-specific funding to bingo clubs.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The government recognises that the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to be extremely challenging for businesses, including in the bingo sector. In recognition of the impact of requiring some businesses to remain closed for a longer period, an enhanced package of support was introduced, including Restart Grants of up to £18,000 per premises, specifically for those which were required to remain closed beyond Step 2. The package also included extensions to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, with further discretionary funding for allocation by Local Authorities. Bingo clubs have accessed £44m of government support via the Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme (£26.8m), Eat Out to Help Out (£600k), Business Rates Relief (£15.9m) and Grant funding (£1.6m). We are continuing to work with organisations in the land-based gambling sector to understand the impacts and how we may be able to support them.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 20 April 2021 to Question 179071 on Gambling: Advertising, for what reason adverts that promote bingo or lotteries are allowed to be broadcast on television before 9.00pm.
Answered by John Whittingdale
As set out in answer to Question 179071, all gambling advertising, wherever it appears, is subject to strict controls on content and placement. Adverts must never be targeted at children or vulnerable people, and the Committees of Advertising Practice recently concluded a consultation on proposals to amend the advertising codes to further limit the potential for adverts to appeal to these groups.
The broadcast advertising codes make clear that adverts for commercial gambling and lotteries must not be shown during or adjacent to television programmes directed at or likely to appeal particularly to children. Gambling adverts on television are also subject to a pre-broadcast clearance regime to ensure they comply with advertising codes. Adverts for most gambling products are not broadcast before 9pm under the voluntary Industry Group for Responsible Gambling code; however this restriction does not apply to products such as bingo and lotteries that were permitted to advertise prior to the Gambling Act 2005.
The government launched its Review of the Gambling Act 2005 on 8 December with the publication of a Call for Evidence. As part of the wide scope of that Review, we have called for evidence on the benefits or harms of allowing gambling operators to advertise. The review will not look at advertising relating to the National Lottery, which is regulated under a separate framework, the National Lottery Act 1993. Evidence from the latest (2018) Health Survey for England shows that problem gambling rates for National Lottery draw-based games were 0.9% and Scratchcards were 1.4%.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of using (a) bingo halls and (b) other currently unoccupied venues for the administration of the covid-19 vaccine.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
No specific assessment has been made.
In support of the deployment programme, National Health Service regional teams worked with local commissioners to identify sites potentially suitable for use as vaccination centres, including those that were unoccupied. Those sites deemed to suitable were then assessed by NHS England and NHS Improvement in order to make the final selection.
Asked by: Kate Osborne (Labour - Jarrow)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what support he plans to provide to bingo clubs for their reopening on 17 May 2021 to help those clubs deal with the financial pressure they have faced during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The government recognises that the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to be extremely challenging for businesses, including in the Bingo sector. In recognition of the impact of requiring some businesses to remain closed for a longer period, we have introduced an enhanced package of support, including Restart Grants of up to £18,000 per premises, specifically for those which have been required to remain closed beyond Step 2. The package also includes extensions to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, with further discretionary funding for Local Authorities.
Bingo clubs have accessed £44m of government support via the Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme (£26.8m), Eat Out to Help Out (£600k), Business Rates Relief (£15.9m) and Grant funding (£1.6m). We are continuing to work with organisations in the land-based gambling sector to understand the impacts and how we may be able to support them.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of using (a) bingo halls and (b) other currently unoccupied venues for the administration of the covid-19 vaccine.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The National Health Service is grateful for the support that businesses have offered and is in the process of establishing vaccination centres across the country that can manage the logistical challenge of needing to store the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine at an appropriate temperature. Our approach, with three delivery models – community teams, vaccination sites, and hospital hubs – has been devised to be flexible and reach all parts of the country. The phased vaccination programme - which began on 8 December 2020 with hospital hubs - will be expanded over the coming weeks and months to include local vaccination services and largescale vaccination centres across the country. More than 730 vaccination sites have already been established across the UK and hundreds more are opening this week to take the running total to over 1,000.