To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of people belonging to bingo clubs in England. (191565)

Information on the number of people belonging to bingo clubs in England is not collected or held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the potential of bingo clubs to contribute to the delivery of his Department’s leisure policies; and if he will make a statement. (191570)

A regulatory impact assessment (RIA) for the Gambling Act was prepared by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in April 2005. This contained a competition assessment for the bingo market. The RIA can be accessed on the Department’s website at:

http://www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/Gambling_racing/

The Department has a close working relationship with the Bingo Association, the main trade body representing the interests of the industry. This enables the Department to have a good understanding of the issues of importance to the bingo industry. The Government recognise that bingo provides a very popular leisure pursuit for the millions of people who play the game each year. Bingo halls provide an important source of employment and play a significant social role in their local communities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the level of value added tax payable by bingo clubs; and if he will make a statement. (191571)

Ministers and officials have had discussions with Treasury about a range of gambling issues.