The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Davis on 2016-02-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what procedure was followed before the authorisation of the use of RAF Lakenheath for airstrikes in Libya on 19 February 2016.
Michael Fallon
I confirmed in a statement on 19 February 2016 that I had authorised the request. Permission was granted once I was satisfied with the legality of the operation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Davis on 2016-02-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department made of the legality of US airstrikes in Libya before authorising use of RAF Lakenheath for airstrikes in Libya on 19 February 2016.
Michael Fallon
I confirmed in a statement on 19 February 2016 that I had authorised the request. Permission was granted once I was satisfied with the legality of the operation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-02-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers of his Department have had with (i) arms manufacturers, (ii) tobacco manufacturers and (iii) representatives of the Israeli embassy since the period covered in the Cabinet Office’s most recent ministerial gifts, hospitality, travel and meetings data release.
Michael Fallon
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Cabinet Office Minister (Matthew Hancock) to her Question 27634 on 26 February 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-02-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which government departments and agencies plan to participate in Exercise Joint Venture later this year.
Penny Mordaunt
Defence Exercises such as Joint Venture 16 require the assistance of Partners Across Government to replicate the interoperability and inputs which a deployed Joint Task Force would face on operations. The following Government Departments and agencies have been invited to participate in Exercise Joint Venture: the Ministry of Defence, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for International Development, the Stabilisation Unit, Dstl and various Intelligence Agencies.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-02-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions his Department has had on the F-35’s digital logistics system and its potential vulnerability to cyber attacks.
Mr Philip Dunne
The Ministry of Defence has regular discussions with the US Government and F-35 industry partners about the F-35 Lightning II programme, including the Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS). The ALIS has been subject to a comprehensive programme of testing and risk assessment. It has been designed to be resilient against cyber-attack and will continue to be the subject of testing throughout the life of the programme.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-02-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make representations to the BBC on increasing the provision of voice-overs for BBC programmes.
Mr Edward Vaizey
The statutory target for audio description is 10% for most broadcasters. The BBC in 2010 committed a higher target and now provides audio description of 20% of its content on BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three, BBC Four, CBBC and CBeebies.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carolyn Harris on 2016-02-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when his Department plans to launch the next triennial review of gaming machine stake and prize limits.
David Evennett
My officials and staff in the Gambling Commission meet a range of stakeholders and representative bodies at regular intervals to discuss gambling policy and regulation. Information on Ministers’ meetings with external organisations are included in the quarterly transparency returns.
The Government published its evaluation of the £50 regulations introduced in April 2015 on 21 January. The evaluation paper can be found here:
We will now consider the findings of the evaluation before deciding if there is a need for further action.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carolyn Harris on 2016-02-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what representative bodies (a) his Department and (b) the Gambling Commission has met to discuss the next review of gaming machines stakes and prizes.
David Evennett
My officials and staff in the Gambling Commission meet a range of stakeholders and representative bodies at regular intervals to discuss gambling policy and regulation. Information on Ministers’ meetings with external organisations are included in the quarterly transparency returns.
The Government published its evaluation of the £50 regulations introduced in April 2015 on 21 January. The evaluation paper can be found here:
We will now consider the findings of the evaluation before deciding if there is a need for further action.
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-02-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he plans to take to help prevent disproportionate increases in the price of football tickets.
David Evennett
While ticket prices are matter for individual clubs, this Government is aware how important this is to so many football fans. Football is enjoying an enormous amount of financial success at present, however it should not be forgotten that this is built on the hard work and the money of millions of loyal supporters. Clubs should ensure that ticket pricing strikes the right balance between value for supporters, and generating the income necessary to sustain their business.
I will be looking for football to embrace fully a key recommendation from a recently published Government Expert Working Group on supporter ownership and engagement that requires clubs meet with fans at least twice yearly to discuss matters of most importance.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2016-02-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effect of gambling on vulnerable people; and what provisions are in place to assist people who have gambling problems.
David Evennett
One of the three key licensing objectives set out in the Gambling Act 2005 is that vulnerable people should be protected from harm. All betting shop operators are required by the Gambling Commission’s Licence Conditions and Code of Practice (LCCP) to have policies and processes in place to meet this objective. In addition, the industry trade body, the Association of British Bookmakers (ABB), has a mandatory code of conduct which places additional social responsibility requirements on all of its members.
The rate of problem gambling is at 0.6% of the adult population, which is lower than comparable jurisdictions (USA, South Africa or Australia). However we recognise that rates are significantly higher among some sections of the population, such as young men, and that gambling-related harm is a real and significant problem. The majority of current provision for treatment of problem gamblers is through the Responsible Gambling Trust’s funding of organisations such as GamCare, who provide a helpline and counselling services, and the Gordon Moody Association, which provides specialist residential treatment. Local treatment can be found through GPs and NHS addiction clinics, there is also a specialist NHS service treating gambling disorder, based in London.
The Government is committed to ensuring that people are protected from being harmed or exploited by gambling. The Minister for Sport and Tourism has explained to the gambling industry that they are expected to demonstrate that they are improving existing player protection initiatives and evaluating the effects of previous initiatives. As the Minister said at the recent RGT harm minimisation conference, government and industry should never feel that there is an end point to social responsibility.