International Agreements Committee

21 July 2026

Contents updated on 21 Jul 2026

The Chair opens the inquiry, sets its scope around the Macolin Convention, and government witnesses present the UK’s assessment of match-fixing risks, current integrity safeguards, and overall exposure. They explain observed trends in sports manipulation, impacts on public confidence and the regulated betting market, and how existing UK systems align with convention requirements without requiring additional domestic obligations.

Committee Tue, 21 Jul 2026 Actual start 13:45 House of Lords

21:59 - 23:33

Speaker 1

Welcome to this meeting of the International Agreements Committee in the House of Lords.

And I formally welcome Emma Floyd, Director, Sport and Gambling at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and Simon Mason, Deputy Director, Sport at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. And as ever, may I remind you that this session is on the record, it's broadcast, and it is transcribed. This is our third and final public inquiry session on the Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions, known as the Macolin Convention. I shall ask the opening question, and after that, I will defer to my colleagues who will then go for, ask questions where they will go further and have more detailed questions to ask.

First of all, though, I'd like to thank both witnesses for the work that you've done, and your department, at the time when you were the DCMS so to speak, for giving us the written evidence that you did. It was very helpful to have that as background before this, but also more generally for the work that we're doing. So, my general question in starting: what is the government's assessment of the issue of sports manipulation and its impacts on the UK? And I don't know whether Emma you'd like to start first, but as you'll get asked questions, can you decide between you who goes first?

23:33 - 23:34

Speaker 2

Well, thank you, Chair.

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