HL Deb 30 May 2002 vol 635 cc165-6WA
Lord Mancroft

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the information contained in paragraphs 28.38 to 28.41 of the Gambling Review Body's report (Cm 5207) was supplied to the review body by government officials. [HL4436]

The Minister of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Baroness Blackstone)

Home Office officials made a summary of the department's view of Pronto lotteries available to the review body's secretariat. But is it not possible to say what information the review body, which was independent of the Government, drew on in preparing its report.

Lord Mancroft

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What research evidence they have to show that society lotteries with frequent draws have resulted in "uncontrolled or excessive play carrying risks encouraging problem gambling"; and whether they will place that research evidence in the Library of the House. [HL4437]

Baroness Blackstone

The Government are aware of no research evidence on this issue beyond what is set out in the review body's report.

Lord Mancroft

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will now publish the four submissions out of three hundred to the Gambling Review Body expressing concern about frequent draw lotteries; and whether they will place them in the Library of the House. [HL4438]

Baroness Blackstone

Copies of all submissions to the Government about the review body's report are already in the Library of the House. The four submissions expressing concern about frequent draw lotteries came from the Methodist Church, Camelot, Carlton Clubs and Rank.

Lord Mancroft

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether Sir Alan Budd and his colleagues were shown the results of the frequent draw society lotteries in the possession of the Home Office; if not, why not; and whether officials had concluded that those results contained no evidence of uncontrolled or excessive play, over a period of nine months in 800 pubs. [HL4439]

Baroness Blackstone

Inter Lotto (UK), of which the noble Lord was chairman, provided information about Pronto sales in 1997–98 to the Home Office. It was not possible to draw firm conclusions from this information about how individuals were playing Pronto. The Home Office did not provide this information to the Gambling Review Body, on the basis that it was open to Inter Lotto (UK) to do so if it had thought that information to be material, the review body having published at the outset of its work a general invitation to interested bodies to submit evidence.

Lord Mancroft

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Why, in the light of the evidence contained in Chapter 17 of the Gambling Review Body's report (Cm 5207), they are not planning to restrict slot machines while at the same time they are seeking to ban society lotteries with frequent draws. [HL4440]

Baroness Blackstone

The Government have made detailed plans for the future regulation of gaming machines and have set them out inA Safe Bet for Success (Cm 5397). The maximum prize from a gaming machine in a public house is £25 and it will remain at that level. We have recently laid regulations which will increase the maximum possible prize from a society lottery to £200,000.