§ 1. Mr. David Marshall (Glasgow, Shettleston)How many pensioners in Scotland receive the free television licences for people over 75 years of age. [25070]
§ The Minister of State, Scotland Office (Mr. George Foulkes)More than 300,000 pensioners in Scotland benefit from free television licences, but this measure forms just part of our overall package of generous support for pensioners.
§ Mr. MarshallI thank the Minister for his reply, which shows just what an excellent and worthwhile measure that is. Will he convey to his ministerial colleagues the suggestion that the qualifying age should be reduced from 75 to 70? In view of the difficulties that many poor people and those on low incomes have in meeting the ever-increasing cost of the television licence fee, will he also convey to them that now is perhaps the time to consider alternative methods of funding the BBC?
§ Mr. FoulkesI am grateful to my hon. Friend for his initial helpful remarks. As far as funding the BBC is concerned, it has been looked at a number of times and this and previous Governments concluded that the licence fee is the best way to achieve that. On reducing the age of qualifying for free television licences, perhaps my hon. Friend and, indeed, I might have to declare an interest in that in the near future.
As you know, Mr. Speaker, I used to be director of Age Concern Scotland, and we had a number of demands for the then Tory Government, none of which was accepted. This Government have implemented those demands one by one by one, including free television licences for the very elderly, who are less able to take advantage of other things, such as concessionary fares. That shows the generous way in which the Government have dealt with our old people.
§ Annabelle Ewing (Perth)As we are discussing benefits that are available to pensioners in Scotland, are the Minister and his colleagues in the Scotland Office 136 disappointed that the dead hand of Westminster has put paid to free personal care for Scottish pensioners as originally envisaged, or are he and his—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. The hon. Lady should sit down. She is going way beyond the scope of the question, so the Minister should not respond.
§ Mr. Brian H. Donohoe (Cunninghame, South)Can the Minister give an idea of the cost of reducing the age of those eligible for free television licences from 75 to 65?
§ Mr. FoulkesI cannot off the top of my head give an exact figure, and I am sure that my hon. Friend would not expect me to. What I can tell him is that the cost would be very substantial and we would have to consider it in the light of all the other demands placed on the budget, especially as they relate to the elderly. I think that it was more important to introduce the £200 winter fuel allowance for every old person than it was to provide free television licences for them, which would be very expensive.