§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) if he will estimate the costs to his320W Department of reducing the television licence for pensioners to £25; and if he will assess the benefits of introducing this measure; [65716]
(2) if he will estimate the costs to his Department of reducing the television licence for pensioners to £40; and if he will assess the benefits of introducing this measure. [65715]
§ Janet Anderson[holding answer 14 January 1999): The estimated cost in lost television licence fee revenue of providing £40 colour television licences for all pensioner only households is £278 million. This would rise to £351 million if the concessionary fee were set at £25 and applied to both colour and black and white licences. The Government have no plans at present to introduce such concessions.