Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-22358

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 6 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-21542 by Jenni Minto on 3 October 2023, whether it plans to lobby the UK Government and the Gambling Commission to restrict the advertising of gambling in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-22376

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 3 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government in relation to increasing hemp production in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-22375

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 3 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the current licensing and labelling regimes in relation to hemp threaten the development of a sustainable hemp supply chain in Scotland and the rest of the UK.

The licensing regime for growing hemp is a reserved matter controlled by the UK Home Office, however we recognise the potential benefit for hemp production in Scotland as a sustainable crop with multiple uses.

The Scottish Government has not engaged in any discussions on this issue with the UK Government. Currently, industrial hemp is not a major crop in Scotland; although there are a small number of independent growers who grow hemp for a variety of reasons and we are keen to speak with those interested in growing hemp to find out more about this crop.

The Scottish Government is interested in understanding the evidence behind the benefits of hemp. As such, as part of the Strategic Research Programme, we have funded several projects via the Scottish Environment, Food and Agriculture Research Institutes (SEFARI) Gateway Fellowship programme. These include a study entitled “Potential Market Opportunities for Hempseed and Fibre in Scotland” published in October 2022 in partnership with the University of Aberdeen and the Scottish Hemp Association. More about this study can be found at the following link: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/news/16425/ .

Question reference: S6W-22360

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-21540 by Jenni Minto on 3 October 2023, when the "whole systems approach" being piloted by Public Health Scotland in Glasgow to mitigate the impact of gambling harm will (a) begin and (b) report back on its findings to the Scottish (i) Government and (ii) Parliament.

The whole systems approach in Glasgow to mitigate the impact of gambling harm is led by a Multi-Agency Group chaired by Glasgow City Council. It reports into the Glasgow City Council Wellbeing, Equalities, Communities, Culture and Engagement City Policy Committee (WECCE).

A report on progress was taken to the WECCE in August 2023. It is available from Committee Information - View Committee Document (glasgow.gov.uk) .

Question reference: S6W-22359

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-21543 by Jenni Minto on 3 October 2023, what was discussed in its meeting with the Gambling Commission regarding the UK Government White Paper on Gambling on 21 September.

The meeting on the 21 September was an introductory meeting with the Gambling Commission. It discussed the role of the Gambling Commission and the consultations that they were leading on as part of the White Paper.

The meeting also discussed the role of evidence and the developments by the Gambling Commission to improve the evidence base across the UK. There was a commitment to build links between officials to support the development of gambling policy in Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-02651

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 October 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to boost hydrogen production in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-21540

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 3 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken to gauge any impact that gambling has on (a) poverty, (b) mental health, (c) suicide, (d) homelessness, (e) domestic violence and (f) addiction.

The most recent Scottish Health Survey (SHeS) found that the proportion of adults undertaking any gambling activities in Scotland (including the National Lottery) has decreased significantly between 2012 and 2021 – from 70% to 58%.

However, notwithstanding this positive trajectory, the Scottish Government recognises the adverse impacts that gambling can have on health and wellbeing, such as debt and deterioration of physical and mental health, and that this can lead to an increased risk of suicide for people affected by problem gambling. A recent evidence review by Public Health England (updated in January 2023) sets out the many health and social harms associated with gambling – including homelessness, crime, relationship harms, mental health problems and suicide.

At present, comparable Scotland specific data is not available. However work is underway in Public Health Scotland to identify and understand what data is currently available, analyse that data to inform future developments (linking to Scottish Health Survey data), and consider what further data collection may be necessary. PHS are also piloting a whole systems approach, working with partners in Glasgow, to mitigate the impact of gambling harm in a specific local authority area.

Question reference: S6W-21541

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 3 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to amend the questions in the Scottish Health Survey to capture more data about the impact of gambling on people's lives.

There are currently no plans to amend the gambling questions in the Scottish Health Survey.

However, the Gambling Commission have commissioned NatCen Social Research to run a new UK wide survey, which will include approx. 20,000 adults annually, with a sample of approximately 1,000 adults in Scotland.

To date the Gambling Commission results have been experimental statistics but the Gambling Commission will be publishing their first set of Official Statistics in a quarterly publication in Spring 2024. Once this new data is available we will consider it and any implications for the Scottish Health Survey.

Question reference: S6W-21542

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 3 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has carried out any work to look at restricting advertising by gambling companies.

Betting, gaming and lotteries are largely reserved matters and their regulation is primarily the responsibility of the UK Government. The Gambling Act 2005 (“the 2005 Act”) sets out how gambling in Great Britain should be regulated.

The Gambling Commission has responsibility for regulating commercial gambling in Great Britain and requires gambling operators to hold a licence to operate. The Commission’s Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice require operators to comply with the Advertising Codes, administered by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

Question reference: S6W-21543

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 3 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding restricting advertising by gambling companies.

Betting, gaming and lotteries are largely reserved matters and their regulation is primarily the responsibility of the UK Government. The Gambling Act 2005 (“the 2005 Act”) sets out how gambling in Great Britain should be regulated.

The Gambling Commission has responsibility for regulating commercial gambling in Great Britain and requires gambling operators to hold a licence to operate. The Commission’s Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice require operators to comply with the Advertising Codes, administered by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

In advance of the publication of the UK Government White Paper on Gambling (published on 27 April 2023), Scottish Government officials met with the UK Government officials to discuss potential areas of gambling reform (including advertising and marketing).

The Scottish Government will continue to meet with the UK Government to discuss progress in taking forward the proposals within the White Paper. The Minister for Victims and Community Safety and I recently met with the Gambling Commission on 21st September to discuss the White Paper.

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