Mr Malcolm Moss (Shadow Minister, Home Affairs; North East Cambridgeshire, Conservative)

I beg to move amendment No. 256, in clause 124, page 57, line 20, at end add

'provided that there shall be no requirement that additional training or qualifications be undertaken or acquired in order to maintain such personal licence'.

We believe that unless it is clear that additional training is not required, it will be extremely difficult for someone operating under an operator's licence to confirm that any additional training is being undertaken. That could result in a breach of the operator's licence, resulting perhaps in a financial penalty pursuant to clause 114.

Mr Richard Caborn (Minister of State (Sport and Tourism), Department for Culture, Media & Sport; Sheffield Central, Labour)

I disagree strongly with the amendment. It is important that employees in the gambling industry improve their skills and qualifications. The commission may well look to some staff, particularly supervisors and managers, to undertake training or obtain qualifications on social responsibility and, indeed, on combating money laundering. That training may be so important that it should be made compulsory. Our purpose in introducing the Bill is to improve public protection and social responsibility, a key part of which is better trained staff. With that explanation, I ask the hon. Gentleman to withdraw the amendment.

Mr Malcolm Moss (Shadow Minister, Home Affairs; North East Cambridgeshire, Conservative)

We accept that additional and ongoing training is vital in this industry just as it is in any other. However, the point behind the amendment is that it lets us ask whether it is necessary to have such a provision, because it will be a regulatory burden in certain circumstances. We do not disagree that training is important. I shall not press the amendment to a vote, although I think that we may revisit the issue at a later stage. I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

Clause 124 ordered to stand part of the Bill.