§ Dr. Edmund Marshallasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will list those county councils, London borough councils and metropolitan district councils in England which now give financial help towards the cost of television licences for retirement pensioners resident in their areas, other than those who live in sheltered accommodation or are disabled or handicapped.
§ Mr. PrenticeInformation in the form requested is not available centrally, but returns for the year ending 31 March 1978 show that Wakefield and Rotherham metropolitan districts assisted 18,590 and 13,538 households respectively, containing one or more persons age 65 or over, with their television licence fee. A further 68 social services authorities assisted between them 5,920 such households, a large proportion of which will have been on grounds of disability of the pensioner.