§ Mr. Nicholas Bakerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will bring forward proposals to remove the anomalies in the 5p accommodation for residential care television licence eligibility conditions identified by the Annan committee;
(2) if he has any plans to phase out the 5p television licence scheme for certain residential care establishments.
§ Mr. Giles ShawSome of the anomalies in the accommodation for residential care licence identified by the Annan committee were dealt with in the Wireless Telegraphy (Broadcast Licence Charges and Exemption) Regulations 1984, (SI 1984 No. 1053), which extended the concession to physically disabled and mentally disordered people living in eligible accommodation, and to certain accommodation provided by housing associations and old persons' accommodation financed and run by charitable bodies. We have no immediate proposals for further changes to the scheme; but it is clearly bound up with the larger question of the arrangements for financing the BBC through the television licence fee which have been examined by the Peacock committee, whose report we have now received.