§ Brian CotterTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she expects the Gambling Review, chaired by Sir Alan Budd, to report. [5878]
§ Mr. CabornThe report was laid before Parliament and published on 17 July.
§ Mr. PondTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she will take to implement the recommendations by the Gaming Board for Great Britain on the stakes and prizes in gaming machines. [6350]
§ Mr. CabornMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I have considered the Board's recommendations very carefully. We are grateful to them and to the industry associations for the work which has gone into their proposals.
We have also had to bear in mind the proposals for the far-reaching changes to the current law on gambling regulation which have been made by the independent review body chaired by Sir Alan Budd. This makes specific recommendations about the level of stakes and prizes in gaming machines. In laying the report before the House on 17 July, my right hon. Friend made clear her wish to undertake public consultations on the report before reaching firm decisions. For this reason, and bearing in mind that there are substantial points of difference between the two sets of recommendations, we do not propose to take any action to give effect to the Gaming Board's proposals before the consultations have been concluded.