§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make it his policy to allow BBC licence payers a discount if they are unable to receive BBC digital services; and if he will make a statement. [135907]
§ Janet AndersonNo. In February this year, in announcing its proposals for the future funding of the BBC, the Government made clear that they had opted for a unified television licence fee covering all the BBC's services, rather than differential fees for analogue and digital viewers. The Government estimate that the switch over to digital television will take place this decade, so the time has come to recognise that digital will soon be the norm.