argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Gambling and Lotteries — House of Commons, 2020-12-08
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Andrew James Bridgen (Conservative, Centre-right): Given that the recent Public Accounts Committee report on gambling regulation declared that the Gambling Commission "do not know what impact they are having on problem gambling, or what measures would demonstrate whether regulation is working", will the Minister use the opportunity of the review to assess whether the Gambling Commission itself is fit for purpose, or needs to be replaced by a new body to provide the real leadership needed on the issue of gambling regulation?
Gambling and Lotteries — House of Commons, 2020-12-08
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Nigel Paul Huddleston (Conservative, Centre-right): Like several other Members, my hon. Friend raises the important issue of the black market. As I have said, that will be considered as part of the review. We welcome evidence and suggestions from all stakeholders, in helping to scope not only the size and scale of the black market, but what further actions could be taken to tackle it.
Gambling and Lotteries — House of Commons, 2020-12-08
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Scott Leslie Mann (Conservative, Centre-right): It is estimated that 37 million people in the UK enjoy playing video games on a daily basis—this includes random content through loot boxes, which they use to enjoy their gameplay. Done right, free-to-play games with additional purchase elements can be a good model. So does the Minister agree with the Gambling Commission that where in-game items obtained via loot boxes are confined to those games and cannot be cashed out, they fall outside the Gambling Act 2005?
Gambling and Lotteries — House of Commons, 2020-12-08
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Nigel Paul Huddleston (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend makes the important point that, without wishing to be pedantic, there is often a debate about whether loot boxes and games of chance, or those where there is not a financial benefit at the end, are actually "gambling" or "gambling-like behaviours". However we wish to define them, we are taking action. That is why it was important that we had the call for evidence on loot boxes, which was completed recently, and further action will be taken, on recommendations, by the Government.
Gambling and Lotteries — House of Commons, 2020-12-08
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Nigel Paul Huddleston (Conservative, Centre-right): The Gambling Commission and the Advertising Standards Authority both currently have a role in reviewing advertising relating to gambling, and they have significant powers. However, many legitimate concerns have been raised on this issue, so both the advertising and the scope and resources of the Gambling Commission will be part of this review.
Gambling and Lotteries — House of Commons, 2020-12-08
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Damian Noel Thomas Collins (Conservative, Centre-right): I am pleased to hear the Minister say that loot boxes fall within his remit of work at the moment, because they encourage people to spend more on in-game purchases than they otherwise would do if this were turned into a game of chance where there were no published odds. Will he also say something about social media targeted advertising by gambling companies? I am aware that social media companies are allowing online betting companies to target known problem gamblers with incentives to bet, which is completely unethical. It should be outside the rules and it should be part of the review.
Gambling and Lotteries — House of Commons, 2020-12-08
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Nigel Paul Huddleston (Conservative, Centre-right): I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend. Casinos form an important part of the attractions. They are why many people come into the country, and they are important for in-bound tourism. I understand exactly what she is saying. Casinos play an important part, and the whole point of the review is to ensure a legitimate gambling industry that is on a sound footing for future growth. I look forward to working with the casino sector to ensure that that happens.
Gambling and Lotteries — House of Commons, 2020-12-08
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Nigel Paul Huddleston (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman will be aware that Northern Ireland regulation on gambling is separate from that of Great Britain. He raises an important point, and we will work with the devolved Administrations. Loot boxes fall under a separate review. The call for evidence has just ended, and we wish to consider the feedback from that as soon as possible. The other aspects that he raised will form part of that review. We completely understand the need for action, and as I said in my statement, we have taken action where necessary, with legislative and non-legislative measures from loot boxes to changing the rules on credit card use, as well as today’s announcement on the national lottery. We are willing and able to move quickly.
Gambling and Lotteries — House of Commons, 2020-12-08
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Jacob Young (Conservative, Centre-right): I fully welcome this review, which will surely protect my constituents in Redcar and Cleveland from gambling harm in the long term. However, the Minister will know—we have had a number of conversations about this—about the issues regarding the horse-race betting levy, and the urgent need for reform to support racecourses such as the one in Redcar. Will he update the House on any steps he has taken to fix that situation, so that Redcar can keep on racing?
Gambling and Lotteries — House of Commons, 2020-12-08
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Nigel Paul Huddleston (Conservative, Centre-right): I know what a horse-racing fan my hon. Friend is, and we have had many conversations about that issue. The horserace betting levy is not part of this review, but we are having ongoing conversations with the horse-racing industry. I look forward to further conversations with my hon. Friend.
Gambling and Lotteries — House of Commons, 2020-12-08
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Nigel Paul Huddleston (Conservative, Centre-right): The issues of age verification, product, and the way such things are marketed will be part of this review, and they are also ongoing considerations of the Gambling Commission. This will be a 16-week review. We recognise that in these challenging times of covid, responders may need a little more time to respond to the call for evidence, and therefore the review is slightly longer than normal. We will then produce a White Paper with Government recommendations. As I said, the review is deliberately broad, and the issues raised by the hon. Lady will be part of it.
Gambling and Lotteries — House of Commons, 2020-12-08
Topic: Mixed Topics
James Sunderland (Conservative, Centre-right): I am clear that online harms are increasing risks to our children, and I note that families have spent much of the past nine months in lockdown. As a parent, I am worried by addiction to games such as Fortnite, when our children could be outside playing. Will my hon. Friend confirm that his Department will consider an outright ban on gambling incentives such as loot boxes, as well as better educating parents, carers and teachers about the dangers of online gaming?
Gambling and Lotteries — House of Commons, 2020-12-08
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Nigel Paul Huddleston (Conservative, Centre-right): The issues around loot boxes that my hon. Friend articulates are legitimate; hence the call for evidence on loot boxes. That call for evidence ended on 22 November. The Government are currently considering the evidence that has been brought forward, and we will respond in due course. My hon. Friend raises legitimate concerns that have been raised by the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee and many others over many years.
Gambling and Lotteries — House of Commons, 2020-12-08
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Greg Smith (Conservative, Centre-right): I very much welcome my hon. Friend’s statement as a vital step in bringing up to date the provisions of the Gambling Act 2005, but may I ask him for some reassurance about how any test of balance will be weighted so that prevention of harm can rightly take centre stage, while we ensure at the same time that the millions of people who gamble responsibly are not in some way stigmatised, and, as others have said, that activities are not driven underground?
Gambling and Lotteries — House of Commons, 2020-12-08
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Nigel Paul Huddleston (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for pointing out the absolute necessity in this review for a balanced, evidence-led approach. I assure him that we will strike the right balance between giving individuals the freedom to choose how they spend their own money, and protecting vulnerable people and their families from gambling-related harm. It is a balancing act, and we take that responsibility very seriously.
Gambling and Lotteries — House of Commons, 2020-12-08
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Nigel Paul Huddleston (Conservative, Centre-right): Yes, I can confirm that the call for evidence has concluded, and we will be responding to that soon. Legal definitions were one of the reasons that it was a separate review from the one on gambling, but that should aid the process, rather than hinder it.
Gambling and Lotteries — House of Commons, 2020-12-08
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Mark Peter Fletcher (Conservative, Centre-right): I warmly welcome this review and today’s announcement. As the Minister has said, the way that people gamble in 2020 is completely different from how the majority of gambling took place when the Gambling Act was passed in 2005. Does the Minister agree that, in line with these changes, the Government should be considering boosting the powers and resources of the Gambling Commission to ensure that it can keep pace with the licence sector and tackle the black market?
Gambling and Lotteries — House of Commons, 2020-12-08
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Nigel Paul Huddleston (Conservative, Centre-right): Indeed; the scope, roles, responsibilities and resources of the Gambling Commission will form part of the review. It is right that we consider the structure of governance and regulation for the industry, and any recommendations and suggestions that my hon. Friend has would be welcome as part of the call for evidence.
Gambling and Lotteries — House of Commons, 2020-12-08
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Nigel Paul Huddleston (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady is right to point out that certain demographics and roles are more susceptible to problem gambling than others. I have not had specific conversations with the Ministry of Defence yet, but we would welcome input on this issue as part of the evidence process. She raises the important point that different segments of the population are impacted and targeted differently, and the scope of this review includes looking at targeting and the prevalence of gambling among different demographics.
Gambling and Lotteries — House of Commons, 2020-12-08
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Paul Bristow (Conservative, Centre-right): I fully appreciate that the focus of this review will be on the technological advances in recent years, but I still have major concerns about the number of gaming centres and venues for gambling in Peterborough, particularly in the Millfield area of my city, and the subsequent risk of gambling-related harm to some of the most vulnerable local people. I welcome this review, but will my hon. Friend consider giving local councils such as Peterborough City Council further powers to close problem high street gambling venues and restrict the number of venues in any one particular area?
Gambling and Lotteries — House of Commons, 2020-12-08
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Nigel Paul Huddleston (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for his comments. There are already regulations and rules if there are problems, and social and behavioural challenges, in terms of the powers that local government has. He raises important points, though; as I said, in terms of responsible gambling across the board, we intend to ensure that this review is evidence-led and looks at a whole variety of issues, including the ones he raises.
Gambling and Lotteries — House of Commons, 2020-12-08
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Nigel Paul Huddleston (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman makes a really important point. Just last year, for the first time, gross gambling yield was greater online than offline, so we have now reached that cusp where more gambling in the UK is online. We should therefore be able to use technology, and emerging technology, in a far more sophisticated way, as he suggests, to make sure that we identify problem gambling and potential problem gambling. I would expect information on that to be part of this review.
Gambling and Lotteries — House of Commons, 2020-12-08
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Nigel Paul Huddleston (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman makes an important point about the historically poor level of information, data and research in this sector. It is improving, and we hope that this evidence-led review will add to the base of information. His characterisation of the Department, though, is wrong, as evidenced by the obvious and significant changes we have made to gambling over the last few years, with FOBTs last year, the changes to credit cards, VIP schemes, mandatory participation in GAMSTOP and the changes that we are announcing to the national lottery today, as well as a whole host of other issues. This Government have shown that we are willing to act when necessary.
Gambling and Lotteries — House of Commons, 2020-12-08
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Marco Longhi (Conservative, Centre-right): I very much welcome my hon. Friend’s statement. Clearly, having consumer protection at the heart of any new regulation is key, so will he describe what sort of action my constituents in Dudley North can take if they believe that an operator is in breach of social responsibility requirements?
Gambling and Lotteries — House of Commons, 2020-12-08
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Nigel Paul Huddleston (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for those comments. He is absolutely right that legitimate concerns have been raised by many, including in this place, about redress in the gambling sector. That is why the call for evidence will specifically ask for information and evidence on potential future redress procedures, and all options are open at the moment.
Gambling and Lotteries — House of Commons, 2020-12-08
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Nigel Paul Huddleston (Conservative, Centre-right): I join the hon. Gentleman in paying tribute to Maria Fyfe on behalf of the whole House; I know I can do so because the shadow Minister and I had a conversation about Maria before we came into the Chamber. She is a great loss. I know she was an incredible champion for women’s rights in particular and made a great impact on the British political landscape In terms of the lottery and the changes we are announcing today, the estimate is that the impact of 16 and 17-year-olds’ not being able to play the lottery will likely be something in the region of a £6 million potential loss to good causes. That is out of a total distribution of around £1.8 billion, so it is a relatively small amount I would like to say thank you to all those who have played the lottery and continued to play the lottery this year. Lottery revenue, and therefore distributions to good causes, has stayed up remarkably well, partly because it has been made very clear that much of the money has gone to institutions, bodies and groups in desperate need during coronavirus. I encourage people to continue to play the lottery safely, in the full knowledge that the money is well spent and well targeted.
Gambling and Lotteries — House of Commons, 2020-12-08
Topic: Other
Nigel Martin Evans (Conservative, Centre-right): May I thank the hon. Member for Glasgow North (Patrick Grady) and the Minister, Nigel Huddleston, for their kind words about the late Maria Fyfe? She was a popular Member, who was well respected in all parts of the House and remained active in her local party after leaving this place. She will be missed by her family and all who knew her in Parliament and beyond. One of the best features of this place is how hon. Members appreciate and acknowledge the qualities and achievements of their predecessors, irrespective and regardless of party.
Gambling and Lotteries — House of Commons, 2020-12-08
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Nigel John Mills (Conservative, Centre-right): I hope the review will recognise the important role that high street gambling venues play in employing local people, and the Minister will recognise that it would be rather strange if the review had the damaging impact of moving gamblers from the relatively safe, supervised gambling premises on the high streets into the unregulated, unsupervised online world. I hope the review will look to bolster gambling on the high street, rather than on the internet.
Gambling and Lotteries — House of Commons, 2020-12-08
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Nigel Paul Huddleston (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is absolutely right to point out that many gambling entities take their responsibilities for safe gambling incredibly seriously and do a very good job. It is important, therefore, that we strike the right balance between enabling people to gamble safely and protecting those who are at risk. There is nothing wrong with legitimate gambling that is well regulated and enacted in accordance with minimising harm.
Gambling and Lotteries — House of Commons, 2020-12-08
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Nigel Paul Huddleston (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman, who I know is well versed in the industry and is very knowledgeable, is absolutely right. We must get the right balance here, and we expect the stakeholders, the key gambling operators, to play a role in providing evidence in this review. They have contributed already and made some voluntary changes, but I think we would all like to see further changes. They can make those voluntarily; there is always the option of legal regulation at the end of this review, but we do not necessarily need to wait for legislation for the gambling industry to do the right thing. We have seen some positive moves in the right direction and I welcome that constructive contribution. If we need to regulate and implement laws we will, but I would also like to see further changes voluntarily conducted by the industry, as I am sure he would too.
Gambling and Lotteries — House of Commons, 2020-12-08
Topic: Mixed Topics
Simon Richard James Fell (Conservative, Centre-right): Thank you for battling to the end of the call list, Mr Deputy Speaker; I appreciate it. I warmly welcome this statement. A few months ago, I met Furness Gamblers Anonymous, which does incredible work to support those who suffer most from addiction. I welcome the fact that such organisations will be able to feed into this review—that is right and proper—but what consideration has my hon. Friend given to the fact that many of those who have the most powerful stories might want to feed in anonymously?
Gambling and Lotteries — House of Commons, 2020-12-08
Topic: Mixed Topics
Nigel Paul Huddleston (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend makes a really important point. I have a great deal of confidence that many of the charities and third-party organisations working in this sector—many of the key stakeholders—are very articulate and knowledgeable, and they have done a very good job of feeding in information already. We encourage them to do so, and I hope they will be able to provide further information, while recognising that some of this is extremely sensitive and therefore may need to be confidential. We recognise that information from all sources is valid, and I encourage all stakeholders to do what they can to get involved in the review.
Taxation (Post-transition Period) (Ways and Means) — House of Commons, 2020-12-08
Topic: Mixed Topics
Alexander Jesse Norman (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for having another go at this issue. Let me address the questions that he raises. I do not accept the point that he tries to make about whether this is, in some sense, an inappropriate procedure. As I have indicated, this is a product of a joint negotiation. The UK did not control the timing. It is as agreed with the other party to the debate and the discussion The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster will be coming to this House at the earliest opportunity once he returns from Brussels, in order to make a statement to discuss this and to receive scrutiny from my hon. Friend and from other Members of the House. That seems to me entirely appropriate. I cannot, of course, comment on matters relating to the United Kingdom Internal Market Bill, but what I will say is that, in withdrawing these "notwithstanding" provisions, we do not regard that UK sovereignty is being in any way impeded or undermined—on the contrary. Therefore, I think his concern can be and should be allayed, but I leave it to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster to address those points tomorrow.
Taxation (Post-transition Period) (Ways and Means) — House of Commons, 2020-12-08
Topic: Other
Alexander Jesse Norman (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the hon. Gentleman. What I am actually doing is giving him a preview of a Bill that will be published in the normal way, after the resolutions debate has concluded. This is a debate on the resolutions required to lay the Bill, and we will do so as soon as the debate has concluded and the measures have been voted on. At that point, he will have a chance to see the Bill and its details.
Taxation (Post-transition Period) (Ways and Means) — House of Commons, 2020-12-08
Topic: Other
William Nigel Paul Cash (Conservative, Centre-right): In view of the statement that has been made by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster—a press statement has been put out; we do not have enough notice of that at the moment—will my right hon. Friend explain whether the Bill, which we will receive in a few moments, or whenever the ways and means resolution has been completed, will contain those notwithstanding provisions? On the basis, as I understand it, that it will not, as the Minister responsible for the Bill which is being brought in, I think, would he not know that the notwithstanding provisions had been removed? Presumably, they are not contained in the Bill—or are they?
Taxation (Post-transition Period) (Ways and Means) — House of Commons, 2020-12-08
Topic: Other
Anthony Howe Browne (Conservative, Centre-right): You talked about the notwithstanding clauses as irresponsible and said that the damage may have been done, but would you like to join me in welcoming the Government reaching an agreement in the Joint Committee, as was announced just a couple of hours ago, on the issues that those clauses were intended to address?
Taxation (Post-transition Period) (Ways and Means) — House of Commons, 2020-12-08
Topic: Other
John Alan Redwood (Conservative, Centre-right): Is it not up to Parliament to withdraw the provisions that we were asked to support, and did support, yesterday? Was there not a long debate in which my hon. Friend made a contribution, while I was arguing the case elsewhere? Were we wasting our time? It seems to me that Parliament needs to be asked again if Ministers have changed their minds.
Taxation (Post-transition Period) (Ways and Means) — House of Commons, 2020-12-08
Topic: Mixed Topics
William Nigel Paul Cash (Conservative, Centre-right): I do not know whether my right hon. Friend can recall this, but when that Bill was introduced by the late Donald Dewar in 1997 I put forward a proposal that the devolution settlement should be decided by a referendum of the entire UK. Perhaps it is some encouragement for him to know that despite a three-line Whip half the Conservative Back Benchers went through the Lobby behind me on that question of having a referendum for the whole UK on this devolution issue, about which he is being so extremely articulate.