Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure that gambling firms support problem gamblers (a) to stop gambling and (b) into recovery.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Gambling White Paper set out a balanced and proportionate set of proposals to protect those at risk of experiencing gambling harm.
There are already a range of obligations on gambling operators to identify and prevent gambling-related harm, which can include signposting to sources of specialist support from organisations who deal with advice and treatment for harmful gambling. Following the white paper, we are introducing a range of new, proportionate controls to further protect vulnerable people from the practices and products which can drive harm. These include new light-touch, frictionless financial risk checks, a stake limit for online slots games, improvements to customer-led tools, and tougher restrictions on bonuses and direct marketing. These measures will be complemented by strengthened messaging about the risks associated with gambling. We are also introducing a new statutory levy paid by operators to fund research, prevention, and treatment of gambling-related harms so that people can access the right help when and where they need it.
We are working with the Gambling Commission and other stakeholders to bring these measures into force as quickly as possible, and have already held consultations on a number of important proposals so we can finalise details ahead of implementation.
Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to her Department’s consultation on the statutory levy on gambling operators, which closed on 14 December 2023, how many responses to the consultation were received in total; and what proportion of those responses were from the gambling industry.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The introduction of a statutory levy on gambling operators will represent a generational change to funding arrangements and a renewed commitment to improving efforts to further understand, tackle and treat harmful gambling. We want to see levy funding directed where it is needed most across research, prevention and treatment of gambling-related harms. As set out in our public consultation, the prevention stream could see investment directed for projects to build capacity and expertise in frontline settings to increase responsiveness to gambling harm, including criminal justice settings.
We are now closely considering all evidence received to best guide the implementation of the statutory levy in an effective, fair and proportionate way. We will publish a response to the consultation setting out our final decisions soon. This will also include a full list of organisations who agreed to attribute their response to their organisation.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the (a) value of grants made and (b) number of recipients of funding from the VCSE Energy Efficiency Scheme was in (i) the UK and (ii) Hampshire since 2010.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The VCSE Energy Efficiency Scheme (EES) is a £25.5 million fund to support voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations across England to save money on energy bills. It was announced at the Spring Budget 2023 as part of the £101.5 million to support VCSE organisations struggling with cost of living pressures.
The scheme has two components:
As both components of the fund are still being delivered, details of the grants distributed (including award amounts and locations of the beneficiaries) are yet to be announced, but will be in due course.
Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of providing interventions in the criminal justice system for offenders harmed by gambling; and whether these costs are being considered in the development of proposals for the statutory levy on gambling operators.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The introduction of a statutory levy on gambling operators will represent a generational change to funding arrangements and a renewed commitment to improving efforts to further understand, tackle and treat harmful gambling. We want to see levy funding directed where it is needed most across research, prevention and treatment of gambling-related harms. As set out in our public consultation, the prevention stream could see investment directed for projects to build capacity and expertise in frontline settings to increase responsiveness to gambling harm, including criminal justice settings.
We are now closely considering all evidence received to best guide the implementation of the statutory levy in an effective, fair and proportionate way. We will publish a response to the consultation setting out our final decisions soon. This will also include a full list of organisations who agreed to attribute their response to their organisation.
Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what her planned timetable is for publishing the outcome of her Department's consultation on the statutory levy on gambling operators, which closed on 14 December 2023.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The introduction of a statutory levy on gambling operators will represent a generational change to funding arrangements and a renewed commitment to improving efforts to further understand, tackle and treat harmful gambling. We want to see levy funding directed where it is needed most across research, prevention and treatment of gambling-related harms. As set out in our public consultation, the prevention stream could see investment directed for projects to build capacity and expertise in frontline settings to increase responsiveness to gambling harm, including criminal justice settings.
We are now closely considering all evidence received to best guide the implementation of the statutory levy in an effective, fair and proportionate way. We will publish a response to the consultation setting out our final decisions soon. This will also include a full list of organisations who agreed to attribute their response to their organisation.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which leisure centres have been recipients of the funding under the Swimming Pool Support Fund.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government recognises the importance of ensuring public access to swimming pools, as swimming is a great way for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy. The responsibility of providing access to leisure facilities lies at Local Authority level, and the Government continues to encourage Local Authorities to support swimming facilities.
In 2023/24, the Government provided over £60 million in additional funding to support operating costs and help improve energy efficiency of facilities through the Swimming Pool Support Fund, delivered via Sport England. In total, the Swimming Pool Support Fund (£60 million exchequer, £20 million of Sport England National Lottery funding) will fund 442 individual facilities and 788 individual pools across 269 Local Authorities by March 2025.
Further details of local authorities and swimming pools/leisure centres awarded funding from Phase I and Phase II of the Swimming Pool Support Fund are available on Sport England’s website at:
https://www.sportengland.org/news/swimming-pool-support-fund-keeps-leisure-centres-afloat
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which tennis courts have been selected for improvement under the Park Tennis Court Renovation Programme.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
As part of the Park Tennis Court Programme, the UK Government and Lawn Tennis Association are investing £30 million pounds between 2022-2024 to deliver improvements to up to 3,000 park tennis courts across Great Britain. The renovation works include the installation of digital access gates, re-surfacing, and re-painting - all of which aim to improve access and increase participation in tennis, whilst prioritising the courts in the most deprived communities.
Since the start of the programme, over £70k has been invested in Cheshire, with 14 tennis courts across five parks renovated directly as a result of investment from the Programme.
Further details of the completed projects for the Park Tennis Court Programme can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/park-tennis-court-programme-completed-projects. We will confirm details of further sites receiving funding later in the year.
Asked by: Andy Carter (Conservative - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many direct grants her Department has made to support (a) swimming pools and (b) leisure centres since 2010; and what the total value was of those grants.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government recognises the importance of ensuring public access to swimming pools, as swimming is a core life skill and a great way for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy. The responsibility of providing access to leisure facilities lies at Local Authority level, and the Government continues to encourage Local Authorities to support swimming facilities.
In 2023/24, the Government provided over £60 million in additional funding to support operating costs and help improve energy efficiency of facilities through the Swimming Pool Support Fund, delivered via Sport England. In total, the Swimming Pool Support Fund will fund 442 individual facilities and 788 individual pools across 269 Local Authorities by March 2025. Further details can be found on Sport England’s website at:
We provide the majority of support for grassroots sport through our arm’s length body, Sport England - which receives £323 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding each year. Between 2010 - 2023, before the SPSF, Sport England provided over £98 million of support to more than 500 programmes to facilitate participation in grassroots swimming up and down the country. Sport England publishes data on all grant recipients as part of its register of grants awards, which is updated on a quarterly basis with awards dating back to 2009. Please find the information on Sport England’s website at:
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the (a) value of grants made and (b) number of recipients of funding from the Community Organisations Cost of Living Fund was in (i) the UK and (ii) Hampshire.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Community Organisations Cost of Living Fund (CCLF) was a £76 million fund for critical frontline services helping low-income households in England through last winter. It was announced at the Spring Budget 2023 as part of the £101.5 million to support VCSE organisations struggling with cost of living pressures.
Details of the first 865 grants awarded through CCLF have been published on gov.uk and details of all remaining grants awarded will be announced later this summer. As of 4th December 2023, 16 organisations in Hampshire have been awarded a total of £742,433.86.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which sport facilities have been successful in their application for funding under the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme is investing over £325 million between 2021 and 2025 to level up facilities across the whole of the UK. The programme provides funding to make essential facility improvements, so that communities have a high-quality pitch to play on, and is a clear demonstration of the government’s commitment to levelling up all corners of the United Kingdom.
Since 2021, over £200 million has been invested in over 2,400 sites across the UK, improving the natural and artificial grass pitches on offer to communities and upgrading floodlights, goalposts, changing rooms and toilet facilities. All funded projects are listed on gov.uk at this link: