Written questions by Wilson.

Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the future of terrestrial TV distribution in Northern Ireland.

The Government’s project on the future of TV distribution is seeking to understand how people receive their television now and in the next decade. As part of this process, a wide range of views are being sought. Membership of the Stakeholder Forum includes a range of broadcasters active in Northern Ireland, including the BBC (who operate BBC Northern Ireland) and ITV (who operate UTV). The forum also benefits from the perspectives of a number of groups representing the interests of Northern Irish and UK-wide audiences, such as Voice of the Listener and Viewer, Digital Poverty Alliance and Silver Voices.The Government will engage with the devolved governments to understand the unique characteristics of broadcasting in each nation well in advance of any decision being taken.

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the need for longitudinal research into the impact of online gambling on children and young people.

The government would welcome new longitudinal research on this topic to further build our evidence base to inform our understanding of children and young people’s gambling behaviour and harm in Great Britain.The statutory levy on licensed gambling operators came into force on 6 April and will raise around £100 million each year. We have committed up to £20m of levy funding for quality, independent research overseen by UK Research and Innovation. This could include further work on longitudinal studies.We continue to monitor the best available evidence to assess the impact of online gambling on children and young people.