§ Mr. Peter AinsworthTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) how many households have been sent an application form concerning the availability, to people aged 75 and over, of free television licences; and at what total cost to the public purse; [128817]
(2) what has been the cost to the public purse of (a) printing expenses and (b) postage, of sending out communications publicising the availability of free television licences for people aged 75 and over. [128816]
327W
§ Mr. Chris Smith[holding answer 3 July 2000]: The BBC is responsible for administering this scheme and has advised that the information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost and by diverting resources which would otherwise be devoted to the successful implementation of the scheme.
Mr. RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the administrative cost is, including postage, of informing people aged over 75 years about their entitlement to concessionary television licences; and if he will make a statement. [129035]
§ Mr. WillettsTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many households have been sent letters regarding the concessionary TV licence scheme for people aged over 75 years; how much the total cost was of printing and posting the letters; and how many replies have been received. [128531]
§ Janet Anderson[holding answer 4 July 2000]: The BBC is responsible for administering this scheme and has advised that the information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost and by diverting resources which would otherwise be devoted to the successful implementation of the scheme.