Contributions
824 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDTopical QuestionsSemi-finals are dangerous places for England’s sports teams. I am sure that the whole House will wish to offer its commiserations to the Lionesses following Tuesday’s result, but…04 Jul 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsWe very much look forward to that prospect. Of course, as my hon. Friend will recognise, there are some technical challenges to be overcome to ensure that the tapestry can be…04 Jul 2019HANSARDTV Licences for Over-75sThe decision that has been made is to transfer that responsibility to the BBC. How the BBC chooses to exercise its responsibility is, as it and we say, its responsibility. The…04 Jul 2019HANSARDTV Licences for Over-75sI cannot agree with my hon. Friend. In previous years we looked carefully at whether this is the right way to fund the BBC, and the conclusion reached was that it is. The…04 Jul 2019HANSARDTV Licences for Over-75sNo, I do not accept that for one moment. The Government’s record on support for older people has been remarkable. We have been able to provide £1,600 more per year for those on…04 Jul 2019HANSARDTV Licences for Over-75sI am happy to send the message that I share their disappointment, and I have made that clear on a number of occasions. In fact, we can go back further than 2017, because in 2015…04 Jul 2019HANSARDTV Licences for Over-75sNobody is hiding behind the BBC. Legislation has now provided that this decision should be for the BBC to take, and if the hon. Lady listens to the BBC, that is exactly its…04 Jul 2019HANSARDTV Licences for Over-75sAs the hon. Gentleman knows, the decision to transfer that responsibility to the BBC was taken in 2017 by this House in the Digital Economy Act 2017. I assure him that…04 Jul 2019HANSARDProblem GamblingThe Government need to do a number of things, and I indicated that there are actions we need to take in relation to the health service, but I believe that a substantial amount of…02 Jul 2019HANSARDProblem GamblingThe hon. Gentleman is right. It is important to recognise that not all gamblers are problem gamblers and that we must focus our attention on those who are in difficulty. It is…02 Jul 2019HANSARDProblem GamblingMy hon. Friend is right that we are in danger of missing some of the other important aspects of what has been proposed today. One of the proposals is that companies should share…02 Jul 2019HANSARDProblem GamblingFirst, I acknowledge the hon. Lady’s gracious comments about the Lionesses. I appreciate that she would not have enjoyed their first match, but I hope that she enjoyed the…02 Jul 2019HANSARDProblem GamblingThe point is that those companies are taking the action voluntarily. I welcome that positive step forward. However, no one in the House has said that that lets anybody else off…02 Jul 2019HANSARDProblem GamblingI think there is a different set of questions in relation to online gambling as an entire concept and gambling on credit. As the hon. Gentleman has heard me say, there is more we…02 Jul 2019HANSARDProblem GamblingPerhaps I may start at the end. My hon. Friend will know that in a few weeks—on 1 August—we expect to see instituted a ban on advertising during the currency of live sporting…02 Jul 2019HANSARDProblem GamblingWe will certainly look at what more we can do. The five companies we have talked about are signed up to GamStop, and it is important that more accept this as a useful mechanism to…02 Jul 2019HANSARDProblem GamblingMy right hon. Friend makes a very good point. It is difficult to be precise about the number of young people in particular who have problems with gambling, as my right hon. Friend…02 Jul 2019HANSARDProblem GamblingThe hon. Gentleman started his comments with the mandatory levy. He is right, of course, that it will take time to do this. If someone is interested in how quickly they can do…02 Jul 2019HANSARDProblem GamblingYes. My hon. Friend is right that we all need to address the increasing prevalence of online gambling in the mix. She will know that the Department is currently concerned with a…02 Jul 2019HANSARDProblem GamblingI am grateful for my right hon. Friend’s comments. He is right to be sceptical: we are all sceptical and remain sceptical in government about this. However, it would be wrong not…02 Jul 2019