§ Mr. W. Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will take steps to curb the increase in the number of betting shops now being provided.
§ Mr. NobleNo. Under the Betting and Gaming Act, 1960, the power to grant or renew betting office licences lies with the licensing courts, which have power to refuse applications on the ground that the grant or renewal of a licence would be inexpedient having regard to the demand in the locality and to the number of offices available to meet it. I have no proposals in mind for amending legislation.