§ Mr. Nicholas BennettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received about the time taken to process renewal applications for television licences and to cash cheques; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MellorWe do not maintain separate records of representations about the time taken to process renewal applications or to cash cheques, and the information requested could not be provided without disproportionate cost. We believe the number of any such representations to be small.
There were some delays in processing new and renewal applications for the concessionary television licence by the National Television Licence Records Office following the change in the regulations in 1988. In some cases cheques became time expired before eligibility could be established and the licence issued. Now that the backlog has largely been cleared and new internal procedures introduced, it is far less likely that such problems will recur.