HC Deb 10 December 1980 vol 995 c385W
Mr. Foulkes

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what would be the cost of providing free television licences to all retirement pensioners; and what percentage of the British Broadcasting Corporation licence fee this represents.

Mr. Brittan

It is estimated that the current cost of providing free television licences to all households containing one or more retirement pensioners would be between £155 million and £170 million in a full year. This would represent about one-third of the gross annual receipts from current television licence fees.