§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what assessment he has made of the contribution of the gambling industry to the British economy in terms of(a) jobs and (b) contributions to the Treasury; and if he will make a statement; [124452]
(2) what research he has commissioned into difficulties faced by the British gambling industry and the effects of such difficulties on the British economy; what reports he has received on difficulties faced by the gambling industry in other European companies; and if he will make a statement. [124454]
§ Mr. CabornI have been asked to reply.
The partial regulatory impact assessment included in "A safe bet for success" (Cm 5397), which we published last year, estimated that the gambling industry supports about 125,000 (full-time or equivalent) jobs and contributes about £1.5 billion a year in gambling taxation; and that implementation of the Government's legislative proposals could lead to an increase in net gambling expenditure of at least £500 million a year (with consequential increases in both employment and taxation). The Department has commissioned no research itself since the report of the Gambling Review Body (Cm 5206) into difficulties faced by the gambling industry here or in other European countries, but in developing the proposals set out in Cm 5397 we have taken note of a number of economic and other assessments undertaken on behalf of business.