To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Gambling Commission's enforcement powers with respect to breaches of regulations; and if he will make a statement. (154801)

The enforcement powers under the Gambling Act 2005 came into force on 1 September 2007 and it is too early to assess their effectiveness. The Gambling Commission has been given wide-ranging enforcement powers and I expect it to use them fairly and proportionately.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the running costs of the Gambling Commission are in 2007-08; and how many staff are employed at the commission. (156159)

[holding answer 4 October 2007]: For 2007-08 the total running costs of the Gambling Commission are budgeted at £15.5 million. Currently the commission has 248 employees, but this is expected to fall to a steady state of around 200 by April 2008.