§ Mr. Yeoasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is now able to announce the extension of the concessionary television licence scheme to physically disabled and mentally handicapped people living in residential accommodation.
§ Mr. BrittanI have today laid before the House regulations which will extend the existing 5p licence scheme for retired people in residential homes and certain sheltered housing schemes for the elderly. The regulations provide for physically disabled and mentally disordered people in residential homes run by local authorities and by voluntary and private bodies, and in sheltered housing which is provided or managed specially for the disabled by local authorities and housing associations, to qualify for the concessionary licence on the same terms as retirement pensioners. Those retired people in elderly people's sheltered accommodation run by housing associations who do not qualify for the concession under the present rules will also benefit under the new arrangements, which are to come into effect on 1 September 1984. The National TV Licence Records Office will be writing to local authorities and other bodies which provide residential accommodation for retired disabled people setting out the new conditions of eligibility for the concessionary licence.
As foreshadowed in the reply of my right hon. Friend the Minister of State to a question from the hon. Member for Bradford, West (Mr. Madden) on 3 May at column 208 the regulations also prescribe new television licensing requirements for hotels, holiday camps, and self-catering establishments. These will take effect on 1 January 1985 and will provide for these establishments to pay a single fee for up to 15 units of visitors' accommodation in which 770W television sets are installed and an extra fee at the standard rate for each additional five units with television above that limit.
The regulations will also exempt from the wireless telegraphy licensing requirements broadcast relay apparatus that is used only to receive and relay broadcast programme services. This last provision will come into effect on 1 August 1984.