Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the compatibility of the BBC's decision to change the TV licence concession for people over the age of 75 from June 2020 with the Government's strategy to combat loneliness.

The future of the over 75 licence fee concession is a matter for the BBC. Parliament transferred responsibility in passing the Digital Economy Act in 2017. On loneliness, the Government is taking steps to address the effects of isolation and loneliness on the elderly. These include appointing a minister to lead work on tackling loneliness; publishing the world’s first government strategy on loneliness; and securing £20 million of new grant-funding for projects run by charities and community groups to bring people together.