Month: February 2021

Greenock Telegraph 12th February 2021

We are all aware of the effects of Covid and the devastation it has had within our communities. It has led to poor health, both physical and mental, loss of jobs and financial hardship. The good news is that the vaccine rollout continues at pace and those that were considered the highest priority have almost entirely received their jag. But there are illnesses and conditions that also ruin health, wealth, and happiness. Conditions that can lead to loss of life, that we can’t produce a vaccine for. Within our society we have a hidden killer that goes unnoticed. Addiction to alcohol or drugs tends to be noticed, there is a change in behaviour and increasingly the medical profession, who not so long ago were dismissive of alcoholics and drug addicts, are intervening. And the earlier the intervention the better.

However, gambling addiction is the poor relative. Gambling addiction leads to all the heartaches I mentioned earlier but it can go almost unnoticed until it is too late. We need to start talking about it. We need to bring it out into the open and expose the ruthless predatory behaviour of the gambling industry. Gone are the days of punters in the bookies studying form and picking a few horses to back. Now we have online casinos operating twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Punters are emailed and messaged constantly to encourage them to bet more. Free bets and inducements are used to pile on the pressure. People at their wits end are driven to suicide and all the while we are faced with celebrity endorsements and blanket advertising at sporting events. We can’t grow a vaccine but we can and we must have a ban on advertising, reduction in stakes, end VIP rooms and provide help and support and education for those that have been affected and those whom the industry is so willing to groom to be the next generation of addicted gamblers. 

Written question – Gambling [10/02/2021]

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of gambling advertising on sports shirts on (a) children and (b) vulnerable people. (147917)

Tabled on: 02 February 2021

This question was grouped with the following question(s) for answer:

  1. To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans he has to introduce a ban on gambling advertising on sports kit. (147929)
    Tabled on: 02 February 2021
  2. To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the viability of alternative funding models for sport in lieu of gambling sponsorship. (147918)
    Tabled on: 02 February 2021
  3. To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he and his officials have had on gambling advertising in sport with (a) gambling industry organisations and (b) sports industry organisations. (147919)
    Tabled on: 02 February 2021

Answer:
Nigel Huddleston:

The government launched its Review of the Gambling Act 2005 on 8th 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 operators to advertise and engage in sponsorship arrangements across sports, esports and other areas. The Call for Evidence will remain open until 31 March, and no policy decisions have yet been made. The government intends to set out conclusions, including any proposals for change, in a white paper later this year.

The government is aware of studies which suggest an association between familiarity with operator logos in childhood, such as those which may feature on football shirts, and intention to bet when of legal age. We are also aware of international research which suggests an association between exposure to the promotion of betting brands during live sport and increased intention to bet amongst adults, including adults who score more highly on the Problem Gambling Severity Index screen used to assess problem gambling. However, we are not aware of evidence which indicates a causative link between exposure to operator logos on sports shirts and the development of problem gambling in childhood or adulthood.

Ministers and officials continue to meet with a range of stakeholders to discuss matters within scope of the Gambling Act Review. Details of ministerial meetings are publicly available and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/search/transparency-and-freedom-of-information-releases?content_store_document_type=transparency&organisations%5B%5D=department-for-digital-culture-media-sport.

Written question – Gambling [11/02/2021]

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he and his officials have had with the Governments of Asian countries on the sponsorship of UK sport by Asian gambling operators seeking to market products in countries where those products are illegal. (150837)

Tabled on: 08 February 2021

Answer:
Nigel Adams:

We are not aware of any approach by Governments in Asian countries on the sponsorship of UK sport by Asian gambling operators.

The answer was submitted on 11 Feb 2021 at 16:47.

Written question – Gambling [09/02/2021]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made a clinical assessment of the effect on rates of problem gambling of shirt-front gambling sponsorship in sport. (147920)

Tabled on: 02 February 2021

Answer:
Jo Churchill:

On 8 December 2021, as part of the continued commitment to address gambling-related harms, the Government launched its Review of the Gambling Act 2005, with publication of a Call for Evidence. This includes a call for evidence on the benefits or harms of allowing operators to advertise and engage in sponsorship arrangements in sport. The initial Call for Evidence will close on 31 March 2021.

The Department continues to work collaboratively with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, supporting the comprehensive review of the Gambling Act 2005, ensuring the regulatory framework is fit for purpose and protecting children and vulnerable people from gambling-related harms.

The answer was submitted on 08 Feb 2021 at 16:40.

Letter in Greenock Telegraph [03/02/2021]

If Councillor Wilson was to read what I have written on addiction, then he would be aware that I have both acknowledged that the Scottish Government has made mistakes and that abstinence is a valued path out of addiction. I have said that we need more rehabilitation beds and that they should be government funded. Rehabilitation and abstinence can be part of a solution to many but because there are many reasons for addiction and they are deeply imbedded within our society, the routes to recovery are complex and varied. As an elected member to Westminster it would be remiss of me if I didn’t seek to improve the situation through legislation and the legislation that requires changed is primarily the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act but we can add to that the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016.  

The end game is to remove the root causes, the poverty, the trauma, the sense of a life not worth living, but immediately we must remove the stigma around addiction and treat all addictions as health issues. This can’t be done while Westminster continues to categorise drug addiction as a criminal justice matter for the Home Office rather than as a health issue for the Department of Health and Social care. 

Ronnie Cowan MP

20 Crawfurd Street

Greenock

Self-Isolation Support Grant extension

The £500 Self-Isolation Support Grant is being significantly extended to more people on low incomes.

The grant will be available to workers earning the Real Living Wage or less, as well as those in receipt of a council tax reduction because of low income.

People with caring responsibilities for someone over 16 who is asked to self-isolate, where the carer themselves meet the other eligibility criteria, can also get the grant.

In addition, the Scottish Government is lengthening the period during which people can apply for the Self-Isolation Support Grant. They will now be able to apply within 28 days of being told to self-isolate.

The changes will take effect from 16 February to allow local authorities time to change their systems and application forms, but eligibility will be backdated to 2 February. This means an additional 200,000 people will be eligible for the grant if they are asked to self-isolate.

https://www.gov.scot/news/more-people-supported-to-self-isolate