§ Mr. Andrew Bowdenasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is his estimate of the number of retirement pensioners holding (a) a colour and (b) a black and white television licence;
(2) what estimates are available to him of the cost of introducing (a) a 50 per cent. colour television licence fee and (b) a 50 per cent. black and white television licence fee for all retirement pensioners.
§ Mr. RentonThe latest available estimates of pensioner households with television licences, which are for 31 December 1985. are given in the following table. The estimated annual losses of revenue from introducing 50 per cent. colour and monochrome television licence fees for pensioner households, assuming no change to the current accommodation and residential care concessionary scheme or in the pattern of television ownership, would he of the order of £160 million and £7 million respectively.
Estimated number of pensioner households1 with television licences United Kingdom Thousands of households Colour Monochrome Total Number of households covered by the current accommodation and residential care scheme 350 50 400 Number of households with full-rate licences 5,500 800 6,300 1 Households containing one or more pensioners.