Written question asked by Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative) on Wednesday, 27 October 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 1 November 2010. It was answered by John Penrose (Conservative) on Thursday, 4 November 2010 on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Horse Racing: Betting

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Horseracing Levy Board and (b) the bookmaking betting industry on the collection base in future levy schemes.

Answer: I have met representatives of the Horserace Betting Levy Board, including the racing and bookmaking industries, to discuss the Levy and seek suggestions about how it might be improved or, if possible, suitably replaced.The Government recently announced their intention to remove the Secretary of State's role of determining the Levy scheme when the parties are unable to reach agreement. This will require changes to primary legislation and will not have effect until Parliament has approved such changes. We will be discussing the options with the Levy Board and the racing and betting industries with a view to ensuring the funding for racing is fair, and collected from as broad a base as possible.

Secondary information